Deebo Samuel confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that he wants off the San Francisco 49ers.
The two sides have been butting heads over a new contract for quite some time now, but most presumed the central issue there was money.
It wasn’t.
After the Samuel news broke, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport revealed that there was more to the story than just cash.
From NFL Now: For more than a week, the #49ers have been dealing with a major issue in their WRs room, as Deebo Samuel requested a trade. pic.twitter.com/PDuN2TsjHz
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 20, 2022
“He has just been, as of now, unwilling to accept or engage in any offer or any discussion. The reason for that, from my understanding, is he simply wants to be elsewhere,” Rapoport said.
“There are some questions and frustration from his standpoint about his usage. He’s a top receiver. He also takes a lot of hits and is used like a running back and put all over the field. It just does not sound like he is comfortable as of right now with the way he is being used.”
Last year Samuel caught 77 passes for 1,405 yards and rushed 59 times for 365 yards, collecting 14 total touchdowns along the way. He established himself as the face of the Niners’ offense in the process and developed a reputation for being one of the most versatile offensive playmakers in the game.
So assuming reconciliation is off the table, where does Samuel want to end up?
Based on his social media activity, the Dallas Cowboys:
Trending: Deebo Samuel’s latest liked tweet pic.twitter.com/N9Y9pJVvKj
— JPA Football (@jpafootball) April 20, 2022
The Houston Texans also appear to be in the running:
Rumors: #Texans are a team look out for a possible Deebo Samuel trade, per @timkawakami
— JPA Football (@jpafootball) April 20, 2022
It will be interesting to see where things go from here. Samuel is in the final year of his rookie deal and is in line for an extension. Clearly the 49ers want to give him one at this juncture, but he doesn’t want it from them.
Now San Francisco has this headache to deal with along with along with the nonsense Trey Lance landed in the headlines for this week.
Now that’s how you do Coachella. https://t.co/DQ6GARDpKO
— Game 7 (@game7__) April 20, 2022
Will Samuel ultimately start the 2022-23 NFL season as a member of the 49ers?
Time will tell.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
