How, when 49ers would trade Deebo Samuel (if they do so)

Since wide receiver trade talk has been in the news, let’s discuss how the 49ers could feasibly trade Deebo Samuel and when it would likely go down… if it did.

It’s the offseason (and a wild one at that), which means there’s going to be no shortage of crazy talk out there, and plenty of it has involved the San Francisco 49ers.

Not sure exactly what prompted a notably entertaining discussion on the Niners potentially trading wide receiver Deebo Samuel at some point, although perhaps it was influenced by two of the biggest offseason blockbusters already in 2022, the Green Bay Packers shipping off star wide receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders, followed by the Kansas City Chiefs sending their best wideout, Tyreek Hill, in a trade to the Miami Dolphins.

Two first-team All-Pros, two wideouts considered among the very best in the NFL. Two trades.

Let’s be blunt: San Francisco has zero reasons to trade Samuel at any point soon. After all, he’s entering the final year of his rookie deal, costing the 49ers $4.89 million this year, according to Over the Cap, which is certainly a bargain in the wake of his first-ever first-team All-Pro selection a year ago. And while there’s the possibility he holds out this offseason with the hope of netting a new long-term extension, reports have already surfaced about the Niners wanting to lock up their Round 2 pick from the 2019 NFL Draft anyway.

But, if some sort of blockbuster trade went down for Samuel, here’s how it would happen.

And when.

Would 49ers actually trade Deebo Samuel?

Short answer? Yes. Absolutely they would.

Before you get hot and bothered with that notion, consider this: Adams and Hill were both elite-level receivers responsible for much of their previous respective teams’ successes in recent years. Both wanted lucrative long-term extensions and new contracts, which neither the Packers nor Chiefs could engineer.

And to quote a line from the great cult-classic movie, The Boondock Saints, one feels a trade approach with Samuel could involve saying, “We’re sort of like 7-11. We’re not always doing business, but we’re always open.”

Aside from a true franchise-elite quarterback (and the Seattle Seahawks sending Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos spits in that theory), no player is truly untouchable.

It merely means the asking price is going to be enormous. If San Francisco ever reaches an impasse with Samuel, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the team ask for a hefty return via trade.

How and when 49ers trade Deebo Samuel (if they ever do)

Granted, both Adams and Hill’s résumés are much more impressive than that of Samuel, the one-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro. Yet if Samuel winds up having another All-Pro kind of season in 2022 with the 49ers, the price tag is only going to go up.

Sure, the Niners can anticipate a massive cap increase in 2023 from the $208.2 million where it stands now, and playing quarterback Trey Lance on his rookie contract through 2024 (and 2025 with a fifth-year option) will make extending Samuel that much easier.

Again, there’d have to be an impasse. Samuel would have to ask for an amount far above what San Francisco would be willing to offer.

Read More: How much will it cost 49ers to extend Deebo Samuel?

Should that happen, an Adams-like situation could easily develop where the 49ers slap a 2023 franchise tag on him with the hopes of trading him away to the highest possible bidder.

Adams, as a reference point, commanded a 2022 first-round NFL Draft pick in exchange, along with a 2022 second-rounder from Las Vegas, while Hill netted a first-, second- and fourth-round pick in 2022 from the Dolphins, as well as two day-three picks in 2023.

It’s anyone’s guess what Samuel would be worth, as he’d need to put forth his 2022 efforts before deciding that.

Still, if the 49ers were blown away with an offer and couldn’t engineer the means to extend him anyway, it’s impossible to fully rule out yet another blockbuster trade.

But we’re not there yet, and there’s no reason to anticipate such a thing happening anytime soon.