Three teams who should pursue a trade for Deebo Samuel

Per ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, all-pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel has requested a dramatic trade from the San Francisco 49ers.

Samuel, who recorded 1405 receiving yards on 18.2 yards per reception, 14 total touchdowns and 365 rushing yards last season, was a key cog in the Kyle Shanahan offence that helped propel the 49ers to the NFC Championship game last season.

Deebo Samuel trade rumors

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport states that Samuel’s main impulse for demanding a trade is not money but rather Samuels’s role within Shanahan’s offence.

It is said that necessity is the mother of all invention; that proved the case last season when Kyle Shanahan resorted to using Deebo Samuel as a running back on multiple plays due to a lack of quality and manpower at the position. What began as a stop gap eventually snowballed into Samuel becoming the best offensive weapon in the NFL and carving out a new position in the NFL lexicon: the wide-back.

However, while Samuel did excel in that role it does come with its downsides. The main two consisting of shouldering the bulk of the offence and the injury concerns that come with that.

It is still unclear whether or not the 49ers will trade Samuel. Money talks and decisions can be reversed if the price is right. However, as things stand right now, here are three teams that should make a move for the premier wide-back in the NFL.

Jets

This one is perhaps the most likely. A few weeks back, it was strongly reported that the New York Jets were in the market for a premier wide receiver to help out their sophomore quarterback Zach Wilson. Moreover, the Jets also possess the draft capital necessary to make the move happen.

After losing out on the Tyreek Hill sweepstakes, the Jets will be aggressive on Samuel. Add in the fact that Jets head coach Rob Saleh and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur have a working relationship with Samuel and the deal looks all the more likely.

Lions

Samuel would fit perfectly into the culture that Lions head coach Dan Campbell is working so hard to build. Multiple times last season Samuel was instrumental in the 49ers setting the tone against the opposition.

Corners, safeties and linebackers, Samuel can run around them all and through them all. On a talent deprived team, Samuel would instantly elevate the Lions into ‘spooky’ territory. And like the Jets, the Lions have the draft capital to make the 49ers pick up the phone.

Saints

The Saints currently hold the #16 and #19 pick in this year’s draft and the Saints are never in rebuild mode. General manager Mickey Loomis will never say die.

Despite losing Sean Payton and not having a true franchise quarterback under centre, the Saints are still going to be firing from the hip trying to contend this season.

Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas are still blue-chip talents on this Saints offence and if you add Deebo Samuel into the mix, that Saints offence will instantly be one of the scariest in the NFL. Furthermore, the Saints still have a stellar defence capable of leading a team to the postseason.