The San Francisco 49ers are 4-4 entering their Week 10 contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Niners enjoyed the rest from a bye in Week 9 this past weekend.
At .500, this is certainly not the position the players, the coaching staff and front office envisioned for the reigning NFC champions.
Entering the bye, the Niners had the same record as the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks. Their in-state rival, the Los Angeles Rams, were only a half game back of those four teams in what's turning into a contested NFC West race.
After the week, San Francisco remained in third place with Arizona's win, combined with LA beating the Hawks, sending the latter to the bottom of the division.
Meanwhile, movement has already taken place in the market for teams looking to upgrade their wide receiver rooms. The New York Jets and Buffalo Bills traded for Davante Adams and Amari Cooper, respectively. The two teams that sent those players elsewhere were the Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns.
Both of those latter teams are expected to miss the postseason this year.
In a sellers market, particularly at wide receiver, were the 49ers ever at a point where they'd explore trading one of their star assets, Deebo Samuel?
Why 49ers don't press the 'sell button' at NFL trade deadline?
With losses already to both the Cardinals and Rams, the 49ers are no longer the juggernaut of the NFC West. Injuries, too, have hit the roster hard, much like in 2020 when they last missed the playoffs. Wideouts Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings have missed games and rookie Ricky Pearsall was held out of action until Week 7.
Within the division, LA quarterback Matthew Stafford is not getting any younger, while quarterbacks Kyler Murray of the Cardinals and Geno Smith of the Seahawks have a lower histories of success than the 49ers' current starter, Brock Purdy.
But it might be time to turn the page on what'll soon be the next era of Niners football.
And that might have pointed toward a deal involving Samuel.
Trading away Deebo Samuel was never truly on the table?
It's hard to imagine San Francisco sending wide receiver Deebo Samuel off to a contending team in desperate need of a wide receiver. However, moving on from the former 36th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft could happen.
But it didn't.
The Niners restructured Deebo's contract earlier in the season to alleviate room in the salary cap. While it is hard to see him bringing a return of a first- or second-round pick after the DeAndre Hopkins and Diontae Johnson deals (both were traded for late-round pics), trading Samuel to the right team may extend San Francisco's championship window a little further.
San Francisco would owe $42.3 million in dead money and wouldn't generate any cap savings for the next two years. Deebo's contract makes him nearly untradeable. It would cost San Francisco $31.5 million in dead money by that point.
Thus, shipping Deebo off and unloading his next potential major contract to another team is not in the works for the 49ers. However, it would open up playing time for rookies Pearsall and Jacob Cowing to thrive, if money wasn't an issue. From that vantage point, one can see why there were plenty of fan-based conversations about Samuel being on the move by the Nov. 5 trade deadline.
The six-year veteran has only hauled in one receiving touchdown and recorded just one rushing touchdown, which was in Week 1 against the Jets. Deebo has only logged two games with 100 receiving yards or more.
The eventual return of last season's leading rusher, running back Christian McCaffrey, also opens up the field for Purdy. The 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year is a dual threat with a strong run game and the ability to make plays downfield, too.
However, the combination of McCaffrey and Samuel's dual-purpose abilities only serve to make the Niners offense that much more potent. That alone is another reason why Samuel stays put.
The 49ers may want to make a deal to strengthen the team's aspirations for another NFC Championship and appearance in a Super Bowl.
Either way, while the trade market is in motion for wide receivers relocating, Deebo is staying put.