San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said this week that he does not want to part ways with Deebo Samuel, and he proved during the first round of the NFL Draft that the remarks were more than just posturing.
Samuel was not traded on Thursday night. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media said during a Friday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” that the 49ers had respectable offers from at least two teams — the New York Jets and Detroit Lions. The Jets were willing to include the No. 10 overall pick in the deal.
"The Jets & the Lions both made offers for Deebo Samuel & the 49ers wouldn't do it" ~@RapSheet#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/UiOlTFzO5y
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 29, 2022
“The 49ers just wouldn’t engage,” Rapoport said. “I think everybody was waiting like, ‘Alright, obviously they’re just gonna do this deal,’ and they just didn’t. So now, he’s not happy. When’s he gonna show up? I don’t know. I think they’re gonna try to make this better, but will they?”
The Lions were clearly willing to be aggressive to land a wide receiver. Once San Francisco turned them down, they traded pick Nos. 32, 34 and 66 to the Minnesota Vikings for pick Nos. 12 and 46. They then selected former Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams 12th overall after moving way up the board.
Samuel has made it known that he wants out of San Francisco. It is unclear what steps he might take if the 49ers continue to ignore the request, but there is some optimism that the two sides can work things out.
