5 bargain deals SF 49ers can make before trade deadline
By Peter Panacy
No. 1: SF 49ers get happy with a weapon like Panthers’ Curtis Samuel
Now at 3-5 and coming off an embarrassing Thursday Night Football loss to the Falcons, it’s pretty clear the Carolina Panthers are going to start thinking harder about their future and which players they’ll want to build around moving forward.
One of those questions should be whether or not 5-foot-11 wide receiver Curtis Samuel should be part of the equation.
San Francisco 49ers
A pending free agent in 2021, Samuel showed his SF 49ers-esque value on Thursday night with 23 yards rushing, plus a touchdown, to go along with four catches for 31 yards and another score during the Panthers loss. And while Carolina could be frustrated with many things in the game, Samuel’s proverbial “positionless” efforts were certainly fun to watch.
It’s safe to wonder if Kyle Shanahan watched with awe, too.
Samuel, the Panthers’ Round 2 pick from 2017, is still just 24 years old. He showcased some serious talent last year, too, with over 600 receiving yards, 130 rush yards and seven combined touchdowns. Carolina has just shy of $19 million in available cap space next season, so re-signing Samuel could prove to be difficult.
Again, this would be a rental scenario for San Francisco, although Samuel would likely be a player Shanahan would love to pair with his other top-two wideouts, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
Heck, the trade makes sense on the Samuel portion alone.
Still, Curtis Samuel is the epitome of a Shanahan-like receiver, and he could do wonders for the SF 49ers offense down the stretch, even if it took two mid-round picks to grab him.
dark. Next. 5 players John Lynch, 49ers need to have on trade block
The 2020 NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 4 p.m. ET.