San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has been involved in trade rumors throughout much of the offseason. But recent reports suggest that it actually may be fellow 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel that’s the more likely of the two to be traded.
On Friday, Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal reported that league sources indicate that Samuel may be more likely than Aiyuk to be traded, particularly because there’s some interest from AFC teams like the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots.
Lot of talk about Brandon Aiyuk possibly being moved, but league sources indicate Deebo Samuel is more likely to be traded, and that two of the teams at the top of round two – Buffalo and New England – have interest in the player.
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) April 26, 2024
These rumors of course only grew after the 49ers selected Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the No. 31 overall pick on Thursday night.
Both the Patriots and the Bills ended up selecting wide receivers near the top of the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday night. So, at least regarding those two teams, the rumors may die down about a potential trade for Samuel.
But that doesn’t mean that Samuel isn’t well aware of the rumors circulating about his future in San Francisco. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini recently spoke with Samuel on Friday about both the trade rumors and the 49ers’ selection of Pearsall.
He reportedly told Russini that despite the rumors, he’s “good with staying” with the 49ers.
“I know what’s going on,” said Samuel. “But it is what it is. I’m good staying with them. I’m chilling.”
I spoke to Deebo Samuel on the phone and asked his reaction to the 49ers’ drafting of his potential replacement, and to the reports that they explored trading him. “I know what’s going on,” he said, “but it is what it is. I’m good staying with them. I’m chilling.”
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) April 26, 2024
This is of course not the first time that Samuel has been involved in trade rumors during his time in San Francisco. He famously requested a trade ahead of the 2022-23 season before receiving a contract extension to stay with the 49ers.
At this point, it seems like the 49ers would need an extremely enticing offer to potentially move off of a player like Samuel considering all he’s meant to the organization over the years. But this situation is at least worth monitoring throughout the rest of the offseason.
