Deebo Samuel requested the 49ers trade him, and these five teams would be happy to stand in line for his services.
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel wants to move on from the San Francisco 49ers, a desire made clear to the front office during player exit interviews at the conclusion of the Niners' disappointing 6-11 campaign in 2024.
Samuel, 29 years old, is coming off a statistically down year that'll cast some doubts whether or not he's capable of replicating the stellar 2021 All-Pro efforts that turned him into a household name.
That said, the multifaceted wideout will have plenty of interested parties this offseason.
Interestingly, Samuel's contract makes it difficult for San Francisco to trade him immediately, at least from a financial perspective. It might be more feasible to outright release the receiver with a post-June 1 designation, although doing so would prevent the 49ers from recouping any assets in return and would subject Samuel to potentially sign with a chief Niners rival.
However this all plays out, there are likely to be plenty of teams vying for Samuel's services this offseason.
Especially these five.
No. 1: New England Patriots
The New England Patriots have a new head coach in Mike Vrabel and a promising young quarterback in Drake Maye, but the weaponry surrounding their one-year signal-caller is sorely lacking.
Sure, Samuel might opt to go to an immediate contender, but one might recall how the Pats were in play for fellow San Francisco wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk during his own trade rumors an offseason ago, and the context hasn't changed much in New England since then.
With a league-leading $120 million in cap space, the Patriots can afford to overspend on a new Samuel contract, and having an experienced veteran in the locker room amid a hefty rebuild would be a wise direction to take.
No. 2: Pittsburgh Steelers
Speaking of teams who sought Aiyuk a year ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers were on the doorstep of engineering a would-be trade before it was called off at the 11th hour.
Granted, Pittsburgh only boasts $40 million in cap space, so it can't exactly afford to get into a bidding war over Samuel's services, especially with its own quarterbacking situation in flux.
However, the Steelers desperately need another weapon on the perimeter to pair with wide receiver George Pickens, and Samuel's own versatility could give head coach Mike Tomlin's offense a needed dynamic.
No. 3: Washington Commanders
There could be mutual interest between Samuel's camp and the Washington Commanders, especially with Washington's recent rise and a boastful 2025 cap space of over $71 million, thanks largely to the affordable rookie contract of quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Not unlike how the 49ers beefed up their roster in support of their own cheap (at the time) quarterback Brock Purdy, the Commanders can afford to surround Daniels with pricey talent for the next three years while their playoff window remains wide open. Plus, as was well established amid the Aiyuk drama, going to play with Daniels is something that should appeal to Samuel.
Terry McLaurin is the clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver out in Washington, but the cupboard is fairly bare behind him.
With more than enough money to spend, plus a reunion with a former Niners front-office member, now-Commanders general manager Adam Peters, Washington should be in strong play.
No. 4: Las Vegas Raiders
Another player in a financial bidding war could easily be the Las Vegas Raiders, who have high hopes for a quick turnaround with veteran head coach Pete Carroll now at the helm.
Armed with $92.5 million in cap space, the silver and black would have no issue granting Samuel an extension or signing him to a lucrative free-agent deal, thereby adding another weapon to complement the 2024 standout rookie, tight end Brock Bowers.
The Raiders need relevance, too, especially with the Kansas City Chiefs dominating the AFC West, while both the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers are trending toward that direction.
While Vegas' quarterbacking situation is very much in flux, having that kind of money bodes well for a player like Samuel who'd see his role increase significantly out in the desert.
No. 5: Los Angeles Rams
Perhaps more of a wild card, especially considering San Francisco would have no interest in trading with a division rival, the Los Angeles Rams could easily be in play if Samuel is released outright.
For starters, head coach Sean McVay would love nothing more than to "stick it" to his friend and 49ers counterpart, Kyle Shanahan, by signing away one of the latter's favorite players, and one has to assume McVay would have some sort of plan for how to squeeze out even more from Samuel's abilities. Few things would be more appealing to McVay in that notable head coach rivalry.
On top of that, L.A. appears to be in need of yet another wide receiver, namely after reports that veteran wideout Cooper Kupp will be handed his walking papers this offseason, leaving Puka Nacua as the only well-established wide receiver in camp heading into 2025.
From Samuel's perspective, McVay's offense would be familiar enough, and the former certainly wouldn't object to facing his old squad twice a year.
All contractual and salary cap information, courtesy of Over the Cap.
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