Deebo Does Dallas? 49ers Star Samuel ‘Likes’ Cowboys Trade
FRISCO - After the loss of Cedrick Wilson and the trade of Amari Cooper this offseason, one position of need that the Dallas Cowboys could target ahead of the NFL Draft is wide receiver.
Fortunately for the Cowboys, one of the best in the league, San Francisco 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel, requested a trade on Monday. Samuel is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is hoping to be paid top dollar before the start of the 2022 season.
More importantly, however, it appears that Samuel likes the idea of being in Dallas as well, after liking a tweet suggesting he make his way to America's Team.
The asking price for Samuel would be at least a first-round pick. The Cowboys currently own the 24th pick, which falls into that asking price.
But do they have the best offer for Samuel? Likely not.
The Houston Texans, who are in desperate need of a No. 1 receiver, own both the No. 3 and No. 13 pick, which means they could package one or both selections in a deal.
Samuel, 26 has become one of the more explosive offensive weapons over the past two years.
Utilized in both the slot and the run game, the former second-round pick considers himself a "wide back" due to his multitude of roles in Kyle Shanahan's offense.
Samuel is coming off a breakout campaign in which he helped San Francisco reach the NFC Championship Game.
He finished fifth in receiving with 1,405 yards, six touchdown receptions and eight rushing title touchdowns — a new NFL single-season record for a receiver
.According to ESPN, Samuel has asked for a trade from the organization despite the two sides initially discussing a long-term extension at the beginning of the offseason.
The 49ers haven't shied away from trading prime talent before negotiations for a first-round pick. In 2020, San Francisco sent defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for the No. 13 overall pick.
Buckner then agreed to terms on a four-year, $84 million contract extension, making him the second-highest-paid defensive tackle.
The only snag in adding Samuel to the Cowboys would be the recent contract extension given to Michael Gallup, indicating Dallas values him as a potentially major piece moving forward.
The Cowboys also have CeeDee Lamb still on his rookie contract, and view him as having the chance to be a true No. 1 receiver in his own right.
Either way, the addition of Samuel would give the Cowboys yet another weapon for quarterback Dak Prescott, as they attempt to make their push past the divisional round of the playoffs for the first time in decades.
Adding a talent like Samuel would go a long way in that endeavor, especially after the losses of Cooper and Wilson on offense and Randy Gregory on defense.
Deebo Samuel
Cowboys COO Stephen Jones has been insistent that the Cowboys are not done making moves this offseason as well.
“We’re not done yet in free agency," Jones said. "We feel like we can go into the draft pure and take the best players on our board.”
Perhaps Samuel's success in San Francisco makes it worthy for the Cowboys to call 49ers' general manager John Lynch about coming to terms on a trade package. The starting asking price? Likely the No. 24 pick.
There are issues, questions and obstacles here. Does Dallas want to repeat its Amari effort? Are the Cowboys gun-shy there? What of the plan to have CeeDee Lamb (who happens to share an agent with Deebo) as the No. 1 wideout? Why derail that? Can a Deebo-like player be taken at 24 and be far more affordable than the $20 mil APY deal Samuel us going to want?
The Cowboys haven’t grappled with these questions yet regarding the Niners star who “out-toughes” Dallas on the way to a recent playoff loss. But Deebo Samuel, at least on a surface level, obviously has.