Disgruntled 49ers Receiver Willing To Drag Out Saga In Hopes Of Being Traded

The San Francisco 49ers and Deebo Samuel continue to remain at odds with one another after the latter was not traded during the 2022 NFL draft, and it could keep going for as long as the player wants to leave the franchise.

“I'm told Deebo [Samuel] still is dug in, still wants to be traded, but knows this could drag out for a while,” reported ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler on SportsCenter as quoted by Bleacher Report.

The latest update comes after free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. tweeted out that Samuel was going to be traded to the New England Patriots.

Beckham would later post an apology for causing such a massive stir in the NFL landscape with his announcement.

It was widely believed by most observers that Samuel was going to find a new home in the league during the three-day draft, but no deals featuring the disgruntled receiver came to pass.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan also commented on the Samuel situation and explained why they decided not to accept any trades involving him.

"Losing a player like Deebo, it’s hard to see how [it] helps your organization... Nothing was remotely close to what we thought was fair to us or the 49ers,” he said via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury.

The issue between Samuel and the 49ers reportedly began after the receiver received a contract extension that fell way below his expectations.

It was later revealed that the 49ers were asking for a package consisting of two consecutive first-rounders in order to replace the picks they traded away last season to move up and select quarterback Trey Lance.

Understandably, no franchise was willing to deal that much for a receiver that missed most of the 2020 season due to a hamstring injury that hampered his development.

He had a bounce-back season in 2021 after putting up a 1,405-yard season plus 365 rushing yards which led to him coining the “wide-back” term in reference to his ability to play both the receiver and running back position.

As the offseason slowly continues to chug along following the hype of the NFL draft, Samuel may be forced to renege on his trade request and just play out the season with the 49ers and aim for free agency at the conclusion of the 2022 NFL season.

This runs the risk of him getting an injury at some point, though he may have no option but to risk it instead of missing out on a year to hone his skills on the field and impress teams by putting up big numbers in his contract year.

Whatever the case may be, Samuel and the 49ers are headed towards a headache of a season.