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Should the 49ers Keep Deebo Samuel Long Term Instead of Brandon Aiyuk?

Earlier this offseason, Samuel seemed like he would be the one to get traded, considering he's older than Aiyuk. But things have changed.

Grant Cohn

Dec 17, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) celebrates with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 17, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) celebrates with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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The 49ers have to choose between Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.

It seems highly unlikely that both wide receivers will be on the team next season. The 49ers will have to give Brock Purdy a contract extension that will make him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL and they simply won't have enough cap space to keep two high-priced wide receivers long-term. That's why they drafted Ricky Pearsall in Round 1. They know they'll have to trade Aiyuk or Samuel eventually.

And earlier this offseason, Samuel seemed like he would be the one to get traded, considering he's older than Aiyuk. But things have changed.

Aiyuk is extremely unhappy with his role in the 49ers offense and the contract extension they've offered him. Plus he doesn't seem particularly close with head coach Kyle Shanahan, who once put Aiyuk in the doghouse for half a season.

Aiyuk wants more targets, more money and more respect from the 49ers. So he skipped OTAs and minicamp. Meanwhile, Samuel loves his role in the 49ers offense and seems quite content with his contract. And so he showed up to OTAs and minicamp and mentored the young wide receivers. He was a leader who was eager to be in San Francisco. As opposed to Aiyuk, who's not acting like a leader or a player who wants to be here.

Which means Aiyuk is making it easy for the 49ers to pick Samuel over him long-term. Aiyuk is showing the 49ers that he's replaceable. Meanwhile, no one can do Samuel's job. And if Christian McCaffrey gets injured and misses time, Samuel can do his job, too.

If I had to guess which player the 49ers will trade, Aiyuk or Samuel, I'd guess it would be Aiyuk.

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Grant Cohn

GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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