3 reasons why 49ers could still trade Deebo Samuel this offseason

Reason No. 2: 49ers don’t want Deebo Samuel to be a distraction

The term “distraction” is an interesting one when talking about NFL players. It’s almost cliche, and it’s fair to wonder what it exactly means after all.

Disgruntled players dealing with contract negotiations aren’t uncommon, of course. And by all accounts, Deebo Samuel is a well-respected presence within the locker room. Heck, head coach Kyle Shanahan even said he considers Samuel a personal friend, and the two spend considerable time together on non-football-related topics.

There’s a lot of gray area here. It’s important to acknowledge that. But, to put things in common-person terms, you’re likely to have a variety of coworkers at your own job, right? And each one of them comes with different personalities and traits. Yet there may be one or two coworkers who’ve turned into absolute headaches, and you can’t help but wonder why your employer keeps them around.

This isn’t to say that’s where things stand with Samuel now. Nothing suggests that at all.

But the 49ers are entering a tenuous period in the franchise’s history, transitioning to quarterback Trey Lance, who needs all the weaponry possible to succeed but also can’t afford to fall victim to a divided locker room, one potentially split over Samuel’s dragged-out saga.

If the Niners reach a point where they say “enough is enough,” perhaps that’s when a deal goes down.

Especially if the following scenario is explored.