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As the San Francisco 49ers explore trade options regarding their star receivers, the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills are reportedly “highly unlikely” to deal for Deebo Samuel.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported the news Friday amid reports that both have interest in a deal.
Earlier Friday, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reported the Patriots and 49ers had “preliminary discussions” about Samuel on Thursday. Boston Sports Journal‘s Mike Giardi later noted the Bills were also eying the star receiver.
The situation involving San Francisco’s receiver duo of Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk has escalated dramatically throughout the week.
Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle went from reporting on Tuesday that Samuel was told he wouldn’t be traded to now being “likely” moved after the 49ers used their first-round pick to select Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.
Aiyuk would now seem more likely to be staying because the 49ers were reportedly seeking a mid-first-round pick for their 26-year-old wideout.
It’s plausible the 49ers could trade Aiyuk for a 2025 first-round pick, but it doesn’t make sense that a team expecting to compete for a Super Bowl next season would choose to make itself worse in 2024 by not getting an immediate return.
The contract situations for Aiyuk and Samuel also present a problem for the 49ers. Aiyuk’s is more pressing because his rookie deal ends after the 2024 season. He could be seeking an extension worth more than $25 million per year, especially in the wake of Amon-Ra St. Brown (four years, $120 million) and A.J. Brown (three years, $96 million) getting deals this week.
Samuel is signed through 2025 and remains an electric playmaker, but he does come with plenty of risk. He has missed 15 games in the regular season due to injuries over the past four seasons. The 2021 All-Pro only played nine snaps in San Francisco’s playoff win over the Green Bay Packers in January due to a shoulder injury.
The Patriots can afford to take the risk on a player like Samuel. They used the No. 3 pick in the draft on Drake Maye to give them their quarterback of the future. He needs reliable playmakers to help his transition into the NFL.
New England’s current receiver depth chart features K.J. Osborn, Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton and Jaelen Raegor. That’s not a friendly environment for a rookie quarterback to develop in.
San Francisco’s asking price will likely determine if a deal comes together. The Patriots have one pick in each of the second (No. 34) and third rounds (No. 68) to potentially build an offer around.
Samuel has put up more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage in two of the past three seasons. His 12 total touchdowns last season ranked second on the 49ers.
