If Deebo Samuel asks 49ers to trade him, these 5 teams make sense

There’s an apparent rift between Deebo Samuel and the 49ers right now. And if both parties elect to move on, these five trade partners could play a role.

Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves here (OK, we’re getting too far ahead of ourselves), but there’s some sort of obvious disconnect between the San Francisco 49ers and their first-team All-Pro wide receiver, Deebo Samuel.

It’s impossible to know what’s going on behind closed doors, and the situation could literally change at any moment. But the fact Samuel unfollowed the Niners on social media, then scrubbed all 49ers references from his Instagram account isn’t exactly a good omen.

Perhaps they’ll be back soon. They aren’t now, though.

The most logical explanation is Samuel is upset with contract-extension talks, as he’s entering his first year of eligibility there. In the wake of prolific receivers like Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs all receiving blockbuster-type new contracts, Samuel surely is seeing his own price tag go through the rook.

Perhaps San Francisco doesn’t quite see Samuel’s value the same way, though.

We’ve seen things like this play out before. While the 49ers would presumably have zero interest whatsoever in trading one of their best players, it’s possible they reach an impasse with Samuel, and his camp demands an immediate trade. It wouldn’t be unlike the situations with Adams and Hill with their respective former teams, the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs, resulting in trade-and-extension deals with Adams going to the Las Vegas Raiders and Hill landing with the Miami Dolphins.

If Samuel does in fact demand a trade and the Niners ultimately consent, they could trade him to one of these five teams for what promises to be a sizable return.