Weeks after the NFL draft and over a month after he requested a trade out of San Francisco, 49ers star wide receiver Deebo Samuel remains on the team.
Samuel expressed his interest in leaving San Francisco multiple times this off-season. His brother commented on a Facebook post saying Samuel won't be a 49er. Then, there was the situation at a nightclub where a fan held a sign that read "Deebo Samuel will be a 49er," looking at which Samuel shook his head in disbelief.
Samuel also doesn't want to be splitting reps at running back and wants to be committed to being a full-time wide receiver.
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Former 49ers Hall-of-Fame quarterback Steve Young went on the Rich Eisen Show and spoke with Eisen about the Deebo Samuel-49ers saga.
Young said:
“Deebo did himself a bit of a disservice [with the] whispers around how he felt about this whole situation. I just think that Deebo… if you don’t want to be here, say it, why, what [you’re] doing or not.”
Young added that a focused and in-shape Deebo Samuel would be the No. 1 most valuable player one could choose:
“I can’t think of a more valuable player in the league if you had to choose somebody to come play for the 49ers. I think the No. 1 most valuable player you could choose is Deebo, if he’s focused and in shape … if Deebo is not focused and not in shape, then that’s another story."
Young also said that it's vital for the 49ers to get Samuel in shape:
“But to me, getting Deebo in shape and focused on the 49ers with Trey Lance is vital, to say the least.”
The 49ers don't seem to be interested in trading Deebo Samuel
At the pre-draft press conference, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch was asked about the situation and whether or not he plans on having Samuel on the team this season.
Lynch answered:
"I can't envision a scenario where we would move on. [Deebo Samuel] is just too good of a player."
Lynch even took it one step further by doubling down on his statement and declining a few trade offers for Samuel.
According to Ian Rapoport, the Detroit Lions offered San Francisco a first-round and a third-round pick for Samuel, which the 49ers rejected. Detroit weren't the only team that made an offer for Samuel. The New York Jets reportedly offered their 10th-overall pick for Samuel before using it on receiver Garrett Wilson.
While the situation remains awkward, it seems like, for the time being, Samuel will be playing in San Francisco this season.
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