The 49ers don't plan to trade Deebo Samuel. General manager John Lynch made that clear Monday during his pre-draft press conference.
“I can't ever imagine wanting to move on from Deebo," Lynch told local media Monday. "You put yourself through the exercises of, even though we don't have a first-round pick, you have to be thorough in this process and prepare for everything. And so, you go through and do that, and he's just too good of a player. You think of 2019, the 36th pick, to come up with someone like Deebo who, to me, has just been a game-changing player for our franchise."
Lynch reiterated that he "can't envision a scenario" where the 49ers trade the All-Pro wide receiver.
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SIGN UP HERE All of that makes sense. The 49ers shouldn't want to trade Samuel and should and likely will do everything in their power to mend the relationship and cement him as a franchise building block.
That being said, you never say never.
This offseason we have already seen Russell Wilson, Davante Adams, and Tyreek Hill traded. Adams and Wilson wanted a change of scenery, and both the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks got good returns for the superstars. The Kansas City Chiefs decided it was untenable to give Hill the payday he wanted, so they sent him to Miami for five draft picks.
There was undoubtedly a time when it was unthinkable that Adams, Wilson, or Hill would be traded. Times, circumstances, relationships, and people all change. We don't know why Samuel no longer wants to be a 49er. We don't know if anything can change his mind.
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But we do know that several teams will be interested in trading for Samuel and that the only way the 49ers would reverse their now-public course would be if they got an offer they couldn't refuse.
If the 49ers were to strike a deal it likely would only be a last-second, on-the-clock deal Thursday night.
Whatever that Godfather offer is, it likely starts with two first-round picks. The 49ers don't want to trade their most important offensive player. It would take a massive draft haul like the one the Chiefs got from the Dolphins to part ways with Samuel.
But that's not an impossible scenario. The 2022 draft class also might make it more likely.
Lynch talked Monday about how deep the class is and how that might preclude the 49ers from moving up. That depth, and perceived lack of elite talent at the top, has led to several teams reportedly looking to trade down in the first round. The class is deep at positions of need for the 49ers, like receiver, safety, corner, and edge rusher. The 49ers also could be seeking a center, and Iowa's Tyler Linderbaum is a first-round talent who has started to slip in mock drafts through no fault of his own.
There has been talk of top-tier talents like Kayvon Thibodeaux and Derek Stingley Jr. falling out of the top 10. By in large, it appears a lot of NFL teams just aren't infatuated with the top of the class and would prefer to slide back and accumulate draft capital or move their first for a proven commodity.
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The 49ers want Samuel wearing red and gold for the next 10 years. But they also want to set second-year quarterback Trey Lance up for success, and there's a point where multiple first-round picks hold a higher value than a star receiver who doesn't want to play for you.
As the first round of the draft unfolds, if a team like the New York Jets, who reportedly have interest in trading for Samuel, offer the 49ers the No. 10 pick, next year's first, and a second-round pick this year, could Lynch say no? It probably depends on how the board shakes out.
If the 49ers are high on one of the top prospects and that player starts to slide, it could give them a reasonable opening to make a move.
But that will be an in-the-moment decision, not one the 49ers enter Thursday with plans to make.
San Francisco has plans to contend for a Super Bowl this season. Trading Samuel after Thursday's first round would diminish their ability to achieve that goal.
Expect Samuel to remain a 49er past this weekend. But if a deal is to be made, it likely will be an on-the-clock blockbuster Thursday night. There's no logical reason for it to happen at another time.
