Deebo Samuel wants out. On Wednesday, the wide receiver said that he has asked the 49ers for a trade (Twitter link via Jeff Darlington of ESPN.com). 
[RELATED: Jets Eyeing D. Samuel?]
Samuel declined to go into specifics, but this may have something to do with his contract. Samuel has reportedly asked the Niners for something in the range of $25MM/year, which would make him one of the highest-paid WRs in the league.
Samuel made his request known last week, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). “Money is not at the root,” of his issues with the team, per RapSheet (on Twitter) — Samuel is also upset about how he has been used in the Niners’ offense.
The speculation around Samuel has been building for weeks, especially after he removed all mentions of the 49ers across social media. Meanwhile, the Niners’ multiple offers to Samuel have not yielded much progress. Samuel’s reported ask for ~$25MM/year deal would vault him ahead of other recent WR deals including those for D.J. Moore, Chris Godwin, and Mike Williams.
The South Carolina product has held up his end of the bargain so far, notching 167 catches for 2,598 yards and ten touchdowns across the last three seasons. He’s also done damage out of the backfield, notching 550 rushing yards and eleven TDs on the ground.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a team that wouldn’t want to add Samuel, particularly after his Pro Bowl / All-Pro campaign. In just 13 games last year, Samuel racked up 869 receiving yards and averaged nearly 14 yards per catch. He also took 59 carries for 365 yards and eight touchdowns, positioning him as one of the most dynamic offensive talents in the game today.
F
It is “ Never about the $$$” does he think we are all idiots?
Jets about to have their new #1 WR.
And running back based on their roster.
You obviously didn’t watch Michael Carter last year
No one did.
Tough call if it’s for the ten pick and pay him 25 per.
Maybe, and a wasted career at wideout
The Jets can have him and then his career will tank
This happens so often. I bet he ultimately stays with the 9ers. He just wants something done quickly. If not, trade him to a team like the Jets who will gladly overpay for him and he can play for a non-playoff team for the next 10 years. lOL
Contracts are a joke. Play out the current COMMITMENT then as a free agent get yo money. Didn’t think this was a hard concept.
Thats not how NFL contracts work.
It’s how all contracts work
Enlighten me then? Haha
Yeah that COMMITMENT that teams can just release him out of for any reason without any recourse for him.
normally i would agree when it comes to contracts but in the case of rookie contracts i side with the player because they have no options and really have no say in their pay.
think of it this way you get out of school and your only choices are sit out and not work in your chosen profession and make no money for a year or sign a deal where you are forced to work at mcdonalds at whatever pay they determine to be fair for 2, 3, or 5 years depending on how high a ranking someone else determines you are.
But they have a choice.
No they don’t, getting drafted isn’t a choice.
Do we want arbitration in the NFL? Seems the only solution to counter player vs team.
arbitration may not be bad idea but i think better option might be based on milestones (snaps played / an agreed upon ranking set (ie top 10 at position get a 5% increase) ) something similar to what mlb added. This way there is no question and it can be agreed upon by nflpa
NFL rookie pay is slightly better than Micky Ds…. apples to oranges
another product of jersey college i see
since we talking about relative pay there is a thing called scaling rutgers hasnt made it to that topic yet im sure .. i went there for a year and couldnt wait to leave but i digress …. our 15 bucks an hour is the equivalent of the probably 15k an hour for a rookie in the NFL. (Im not looking up the exact contract breakdowns because there are so many scales between all the rounds and picks etc etc and probably would go over your head anyways).
Stars in most companies and business move up the ranks quickly and get better pay to the point where maybe they end up as franchise owners in regular world and the same with stars in sports. The better ones get bigger paychecks (Sam Darnold vs Josh Allen). So its more like gala apples to sekai ichi apples. Which btw not a fan of those apples i still prefer my honey crisps.
They got him at a wild discount for three years when he wasn’t even allowed to negotiate and had no choice where he went in the first place. How much is he supposed to honor the commitment he made with zero leverage or choice? He can choose to play hardball rather than keep risking his body and career while he’s only guaranteed another $4 million—which is maybe 20% of what his one year value would be on the open market. They can choose to pay him or trade him.
I agree with you about everything except the 20% part. I think he’s worth $25m a year on the open market. He’s a game-changer in a league with precious few of them.
I agree with your disagreement. I was rounding down, since it’s a dramatic percentage even if understated.
Keep in mind the players that don’t live up to their rookie contract but still get paid. Works both ways. In this case, he’s working for that big payday and guaranteed money. In due time he’ll get it, but for now he signed up for this and the system it runs by.
He had no choice but to sign up for this if he wanted to be in the NFL. Now he has the choice to negotiate. In this CBA, if a player doesn’t live up to his rookie deal, the opportunity cost is worse than the actual cost. Deebo is slated to be paid like a kicker this year. The Cowboys are paying Jaylon Smith $6.8 million this year and he hasn’t been on the team since early last season.
He Lao had a choice to sign the contract. Go to the CFL, USFL,XFL or McDonald’s. He has a college degree to fall back on as well. He had choices. Now he simply isn’t happy with the one he made. Let him sit gif a year. Then see how much his next contract is once he does so
So he had no say if he wanted to be in the NFL. Now he has tactics and he’s using them.
Contacts are toilet paper in the NFL, teams void them at will.
Apparently it is a hard concept, since you don’t get that they’re not fully guaranteed and that for rookie first rounders they’re locked in for four or five years without any negotiating tactics other than to hold out or request a trade.
I look forward to your outrage the next time an owner cuts a player who has time remaining on their contract.
It’s a contract, not a blood oath.
Until the NFL has guaranteed contracts as much as a standard as they are in the MLB, NBA, and NHL, I will side with the player. These guys have such a short window to make money and teams can screw them any time.
Then let them choose another profession. A gun wasn’t held to there head to sign and nfl contract
He’s one of the best workers at an incredibly valuable job. Someone else will pay him what he wants if SF won’t, and they’ll even send SF draft picks for the privilege. You seem to take some weird joy in vicariously lording over other people.
Big Jon your takes are as bad as your grammar.
Y’all need to quit insulting each other for having different points of view. This is how things get ugly, and this topic is hardly serious enough to warrant insults.
I’m just calling balls and strikes. Not much patience for football fans who treat the actual players with undeserved contempt.
You can call it whatever you want, but insulting people and making assumptions-not just you, but everyone-is how topics gets locked. And all of you make relevant points in your comments. This is not a discussion of absolutes and it’s not worth escalating. Just respect each other, discuss, move on.
I don’t respect someone who wants to assassinate any player’s character the second he wants a contract. You can dole out your respect as you see fit.
No one is trying to assassinate Deebo’s character, Oof. They just disagree with you about contracts, man. You’re not without valid points, either. Take a deep breath.
I’m breathing just fine and I disagree with you.
If he’s upset about his usage in the offense, ie he is their offense, does he not realize that his usage level, importance to the offense, and success he’s had in the offense are what’s given him the leverage to ask for 25MM/year?
Don’t get me wrong, he deserves to be paid, but you can’t have it both ways.
Yea the usage remark is really strange. He’s their entire offense and that is what will get him paid. Why would he be unhappy with that?
Ya how can he be upset w his usage he literally ran threw and caught touchdowns last year
I think they are connected to pay / injury. He wants to be used less to lower injury risk and keep his earning potential higher atleast until he is paid
Being used as a RB takes a much higher toll on his health, which greatly impacts his future earning ability. If they had better QB play they would be able to get him the ball more as a WR.
About the usage thing, how much do you guys think of that is about lance being the qb and not jimmy anymore? Is he or his agent worried about deebos stats declining drastically with lance at qb as opposed to how they have been with jimmy?
That could be part of it, but I’d say it more what others have referenced in that he knows he can’t take 300 plus touches a year without cashing in. Teams will start to view him with too little tread on the tires/too much abuse taken.
Sportznut hit on something I was thinking as well. I don’t exactly think that Samuel has a problem with Lance, but if he figures that he’s going to be running more, that may impact his decision. It’s doubtful that Lance will increase Samuel’s receiving opportunities versus Garappolo, which also would impact Samuel’s usage and stats.
Thing is, I recall Samuel publically wanting the ball last year in the playoffs, and delivering when he did. If he feels that he wants the ball more and yet is unhappy about his usage, it would seem that he is not unhappy about the amount of his usage, but the strategy overall. Samuel seems to not trust Shanihan’s coaching if these things are true.
so much for having extention budgeted for lol
Reality check for NFL GMs – budget plans for QB and WRs need be thrown and welcome the new world order ASAP. With a rookie qb contract there should be no reason for the Niners to pay the man! Bye Jimmy G
It not bye bye Jimmy if no one want him post surgery. It not that simple . He can’t be payed if they don’t got the money .
He said it wasn’t about the money which, when translated, means it’s all about the money
You may be tired and old but you’re not stupid
RoastGobot, thanks for the laughs lol XD
It always been about the money. Dude want big bucks. He seen 3rd option wr get paid by the jags. Now he want to be paid
Do you think people in all fields are greedy if they want to be paid competitively for what they do and how well they do it? Is it all about the money to care about money?
Yeah, I agree. I guess the caveat would be that while that’s true in all professions, try signing a contract and then whine to your boss, not show up for work and demand more. I get it. Athletes have a limited shelf life. But too many of us equate their labor situations with that of the average Joe. Sheesh, I remember when players retired and began new careers in other professions because their playing days didn’t secure money that could last even a few years. It’s completely swung in the opposite direction
Regular laborers aren’t also the product. They also don’t generate nearly as much for their bosses. They also generally don’t have another home city chosen for them.
And try flipping it around. You’re an employer. You have a team member who’s generated wild amounts of surplus value. You know that if you don’t give him a huge raise now, you’re a year out from a bidding war that might go much higher than he’s asking now, AND he might want out because you were a stickler the first time he was eligible for a raise. Retaining talent and not alienating your best workers are important parts of management.
Oof, I get your points, but you constantly undervalue “regular laborers” too comfortably. I get that most people aren’t high profile athletes. But you cannot expect people who will likely never make what an NFL players does on his rookie deal to relate financially to the struggles of a well off athlete.
There is also the salary cap to consider. When it comes to players wanting big deals versus adding others who will help win a title, fans are going to pick the title. Players, as you said, come and go (both due to themselves AND due to the organizations not fully honoring what essentially are worthless NFL contracts). It’s not always simple hate or jealousy against players when people make complaints about players’ contract complaints.
I do think that it’s important for everyone to note that in this case, Samuel hasn’t said anything himself as to why he made this request, so it’s important to not make definitive assumptions regarding his mindset for everyone.
The salary cap is self imposed by owners. And if a player doesn’t get the money, it doesn’t go to regular laborers. It goes to other players or to billionaires who make a fortune whether they run their teams well or not.
Whomever imposed it, it’s there. None of the rest of that really changes that. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a player getting the best contract he can, actually. I also think guaranteed contracts are better for everyone, including even the teams. But there should be recognition that there’s a choice between taking what you can leaving space for others to do the same.
Not having a salary cap really hurts the smaller market teams and by extension the players by reducing the opportunities for starting roles. Fewer competitive teams equals lower incentive to bother handing good contracts or even operating at all. Someone has to offer the money at the end of the day.
I’ll try to find a small enough violin. Outside of maybe Cincinnati, none of these owners is cutting it close on finances.
It’s not the owners, it’s the teams. I don’t have any sympathy for owners, if that’s what you’re implying. Nobody will want to run a team if only the top four to five can effectively compete for the best players’ salaries. Owners may not care too much on the whole about team success, but they do care about profits, and an uncompetitive league is less ptofitable. If owners don’t see the point in running teams except in the biggest markets, who’s going to pay the players?
With every passing day the NFL turns more and more into the NBA
Great!
NBA sucks
Except the NBA doesn’t get to drop contracts like the NFL does. Guaranteed money is only an issue for those 2-ways and minimum contracts in the NBA.
Sad to see him go if this is true. But look 49ers aren’t dumb they saw this coming . Look what they did recently. He about the money not the team
Are the Niners about the money and not the team for not paying their #1 receiver who’s done great work for them at a fraction of his worth?
Is any player wroth 25 mill? Tho that the question. If it wasn’t for the jags big deal for a 3rd option player would dee even want 25 mill? . It not about what the team or player wants . They can meet in the middle. They have to think about the team as a whole not just one guy
Tyreek was worth $30 million per year with heavy guarantees PLUS a gaggle of draft picks. Adams cost his money PLUS a first and a second. I’m not saying Samuel is quite at their level yet, but he’s younger and can be had for just the money if you’re the Niners. High end receivers are extremely valuable and the cap is about to go up by a good margin.
Yes, players are worth $25 million.
In fact, some are worth far more than that.
Why do you think there’s a salary cap?
But dee value as a player might take a hit on a new team. Has he even thought about that . I don’t know if teams will use him the way Kyle did . You gotta think about the future and how this will play out . So I wouldn’t give him 25 mill. 20/22 tops.
Counterpoint: If a team trades a first rounder and more to get him, he suddenly has a lot more leverage, because that’s team won’t want to trade all of that for one year.
@pt57: There’s a salary cap to protect owners from their own greed and stupidity…and no it doesn’t work.
Well that escalated quickly
It’s probably been brewing and escalating for longer than we’ve known about it, but you’re not wrong, it sure seems like this went from zero to light speed in no time.
I wouldn’t hate if the Bears somehow got him with next years first plus some
a first this year will start negotiations…a first next year is depreciated in value. also the niners may not even trade him in the NFC. The jets are his probable destination due to draft capital and familiarity in coaching.
Hell no!!! Beats are not a WR away from being good. They need to take this year to reset there tax hit, get back draft picks, not trade them.
Let him walk
Good luck with Trey Lance and no #1 receiver.
Trey Lance needed a lot of good luck even with a #1 receiver.
Not gonna lie, that was pretty good
“Money is not at the root,”. Sure. OK sign for $5m a year then.
You can’t trade up for a 1st rd QB and keep your “backup” at 25 million a year, then cry that you’re only 1 million under the cap. SF is not getting what they want in a Jimmy trade so they have to cut him and take that 25 mil and put it into Deebo !!!
SF does not see the playoffs or win a game in the playoffs without Deebo.
This is one of the most important aspects, I think. I get holding out for some kind of return for Jimmy, but what’s the point of committing to a rookie deal QB if you’re not going to spend to keep his best weapon?
Jimmy is a FA next year. Samuel is still under contract. Any extension wouldn’t eat into their cap this year. In other words, their cap situation this year is not affecting their ability to re-sign Samuel. Congrats on the useless post though.
So how do you fit in any extra money for a raise he would want for this year?
My first thought: this has the Texans written all over it. Because, they would.
The Jets, Saints, Eagles, Chiefs, and Packers. That’s five teams that have all been connected to receivers in the draft and have multiple first rounders. There are definitely multiple teams who would be willing to trade a first rounder for the right to give Samuel a competitive contract. Seems like good value for the Niners to just give him the contract.
Notice how the Bills just got the Diggs deal done without tons of drama? It’s almost like smart businesses make it a point to hold onto their best talent without unnecessary resentment.
How can the jaguars get him?
Trade the 1 for the jets two picks, then trade one of those and their second and a third next year for deebo?
They can’t trade the 1 overall for Deebo.
Why on earth would the Jets do that? It would make much more sense for the Jets to use one of those picks to headline a package for Samuel themselves.
You’re right, I wouldn’t do that if I’m the jets either. I am just quickly brainstorming how the jaguars could do that without trading 1-1 straight up for Deebo
Yeah, that would be overkill.
I’d offer 1-1 to the Saints for both first rounders they have so the Saints can select the QB they want instead of playing the waiting game at 16 or 19. Jags want Deebo they’d have to take a little less to trade out of 1-1 with there being no sure fire consensus pick.
Then use those picks to wheel and deal to get Samuel.
I dont see the 49ers trading Deebo in the NFC unless its to a team with question marks at QB like the Chiefs did to Hill.
So in this scenario, the Saints will have traded two firsts, a second, and a third to draft the QB of their choice in a draft that might not have a franchise QB. I’m not saying stranger things haven’t happened, but yikes.
If the saints are hell bent on getting a QB in the draft they’re behind Carolina, Seattle, Atlanta, Washington. They could wind up with their 3rd or 4th choice unless they trade up. The trade with the Eagles made little sense tbh. But they already put themselves in a weird situation being in the middle of the 1st and no QB.
Very strange trade. But it seems just as likely that they want a new LT out of this draft.
Saints are not going to draft a QB in the first round. Total smoke and mirror crapola from sports writers.
The real smokescreen was the Saints making such a bizarre trade.
Bengals could use him … OMG would that be scary
The Bengals already have a top notch 1-3 receiver group. They need their money and draft picks elsewhere.
Why get dee when your star Qb need a oline . They already have a star wr plus a good 2 and 3
Jets make the most sense
#10, #69, and a 2023 2nd or 2023 3rd
That seems in realistic range.
they offered far less for Hill – and it was accepted
Package him with Jimmy and be done with both of them and get some picks and/or a player.
I love ‘em, but if they’re not gonna be playing here next year, just get it over with
What team realistically wants both of those guys?
Carolina, I suppose, but they couldn’t afford it.
Too bad for him he’s under contract. If they don’t make him play, fire everyone
in his contract, he can also stage a hold out and forego his salary and not play. Not the easiest choice but if he chooses this is best path to lose money this year for a potential bigger payday do you still fire everyone?
Hold out? How that work out for bell! I know dee young. But holding out may not look good for him
not too bad for bell because we never got official contract offers from the steelers to bell the last i remember being rumored was a 3 / 36 where only 8 was guaranteed (please correct me if i am wrong). Then he went to the jets got 4 / 52 with 27 million guaranteed.
He ended up in a bad situation with a coach that had no reason being a head coach and basically set the jets even further back than they were before he got there (yes i didnt think it was possible either). What coach goes out and says the big free agent you literally signed days before being hired is not someone you would have signed. The coach didnt want him and basically under utilized him.
Lol, good luck with that stance.
its not my stance its yours … so good luck with firing everyone if they keep him and he holds out
“Too bad for him he’s under contract. If they don’t make him play, fire everyone”
I was talking to Geoff, who’s being ridiculous.
ooops my bad thought you was OP 🙂
Seeing as he is a great receiver and rusher, he might actually be worth what he’s asking.
A lot of good points made and brought up. I would love to keep Deebo, but you have an entire team to worry about (Bosa contract etc…). I personally hate the childish social media “wipes” as well. 1. Honor your current contract and negotiate for your market value $25/year OR 2. Be traded to where ever it best suits/yields the 49ers. In which I would want the farm for him. Oh and someone said sit out the year…my opinion is that is borderline career suicide.
It shouldn’t come to any of these things, but when it comes to the social media wipes, who cares? They can undo it in two seconds.
I am just saying it is childish and even more ridiculous mass media and NFL programs report on it over and over and over
i said its an option …
high risk and potential high reward.
He goes out and in ota tears acl and out for the year under current contract paying him what 4 mil (not chump change but his potential / caliber player is nothing) .. so he gets his 4 mil for the year then goes into FA with a chip on his shoulder and most likely has to take a pillow contract where if he sits out a year he loses a few million this year and maybe off the top end of new contract but probably makes more in the new contract than the current and pillow put together and chooses where he wants to go say florida or texas where the taxes are cheaper. Im not saying its the best option and like you said probably kills him in the pr but its still an option.
Which speaks to why both sides should be able to get something done. But if not, trade him.
Some important questions/information we do not have answers to: 1. How much guaranteed money is he asking for/expecting? 2. What are the 49ers offering?
The second part is what I am most curious about. The first is getting more and more relevant daily, especially after the Watson contract. Then again, this happened after the original Kirk Cousins deal and eventually faded, so it remains to be seen how permanent the guaranteed money demands will be.
Lions currently working on an offer per local Detroit radio personality. Probably bad rumor.
Out of curiosity…if we are to lose/trade away Deebo (which I do not like personally)…what would you want/expect to haul on for him?
I’m trying to be sympathetic to the plight of millionaires after reading that Elon Musk is homeless and couch surfing…lol.
Colts, trade you’re entire 2022 draft for him and pay whatever he wants.
The nfl
Is a sport where your career can be ended on a play. He needs to protect himself and future earnings. The shelf life is short for nfl compared to any other sport. Get yours deebo
Play out your contract then get a bigger one, it is how the system works and that’s what HIS players association and owners agreed to. Seems pretty simple, and if he doesn’t like it then blame the players association since they are the ones that work on his behalf. Then negotiate your next contract to be fully guaranteed if that’s what he really wants.
As for the usage, he most likely doesn’t like his usage per the amount he is paid right now. Pay him $20+ MIL and that goes away.
Deebo has a lot of leverage right now, which is why he’s using it. If he doesn’t sign an extension this year, he will be an unrestricted FA next offseason. If the 49ers franchise tag him, he’d make almost $21m. If they tag him again, he’d make over $25m. To tag him a third time would cost over $36m. So the floor for negotiating would be that amount in guaranteed money, and the average of those three years as an annual salary, which is over $27m per year. All of a sudden $25m a year with $75m guaranteed doesn’t look so bad, right? Or they can trade him.
Trying to think back, who was the first to ever sign a big contract as a WIdeOUt?
Big for the era? Or big in terms of recently like $20m a year? Jerry Rice was the highest paid WR for most of the 90s, then Marvin Harrison was for a while, then Moss, then Fitzgerald, Michael Thomas, Cooper, then the big ones this off-season. Might be missing a couple players that were highest for a year or two. I know Galloway, Michael Irvin, Rod Smith, Reggie Wayne, and Andre Johnson were all up near the top at some point.
TO might have been near the top of the market post 49ers, too.
Megatron between Fitzgerald and Thomas.
He does realize the only reason he’s in a position to get a big pay day is the way he’s been used in SFs offense right?
You do realize the reason he’s in a position to get a big pay day is all the different ways he’s been able to succeed in SF’s offense, right? If other guys could be used like that, they would have been.
Thanks guys!!!
A 140+ comments on a guy named Deebo during the off season can only mean there are others besides me with way too much free time on their hands…lol.
U got that right my brutha.My grandkids come first then sports.@fter that it’s a toss up.Gotta love it.
Deebo told 9ers not to offer any contracts…He wants out of SanFran.Not about the money. This is not good ladies n gents.Samuel up for grabs to the highest bidder….to be CONTINUED!!