The 49ers Decided Not to Trade Deebo Samuel 2 Hours Before Round 2

This seems to suggest the 49ers probably would have traded Samuel for a second-round pick if they could have.

Feb 5, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) talks to the / Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

If Deebo Samuel had more trade value, he probably wouldn't be on the 49ers right now.

The 49ers reportedly listened to trade offers for Samuel up until two hours before Round 2 of the NFL Draft, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Which seems to suggest the 49ers probably would have traded Samuel for a second-round pick if they could have. But he's on the downside of his career, he gets injured frequently and he has one of the worst contracts in the NFL, so it's doubtful a team offered anything more than a third- or fourth-round pick for him.

The 49ers clearly drafted Ricky Pearsall in Round 1 just in case they decided to trade Samuel the next day. So having both of them on the team at the same time is somewhat awkward, considering Pearsall is Samuel's eventual replacement. The 49ers still could trade Samuel during the season before the trade deadline if they want to, but it's obvious that Samuel's trade value is far lower than the 49ers expected.

If the 49ers hold onto Samuel, they can cut him next season and get nothing in return, or they can keep him through 2025, then let him leave in free agency and get a compensatory pick for him. At this point, the compensatory pick in 2026 might be better than any draft pick the 49ers could get by trading Samuel, so keeping him could make sense.

Let's hope the 49ers learned their lesson about paying big money to wide receivers who've had just one special season.