8:10pm: The Steelers have also shown interest in Samuel, Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. He adds, though, that Pittsburgh was unwilling to meet San Francisco’s asking price in a trade. The 49ers’ receiver approach will remain a key storyline to watch with a notable market obviously existing.
Pittsburgh has, of course, long been considered a candidate to pull off a trade at the receiver spot. Dealing away Diontae Johnson created a vacancy in the starting lineup, and to date the team has focused on offensive line (rather than wideout) prospects in the draft. The Steelers may circle back to Samuel if the price were to come down, but in any case they will be a team to monitor.
12:55pm: Passing on a chance to upgrade their receiving corps late in the first round, the Bills have received some attention for being part of trades that allowed the Chiefs and Panthers to made wideout investments. The Bills may have a bigger name in mind.
Buffalo joins New England in being interested in Deebo Samuel, according to the Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi. The Bills are in dire need at the position, having traded Stefon Diggs and having let Gabriel Davis walk (to the Jaguars) in free agency. Samuel appears a live candidate to be moved, even as Brandon Aiyuk trade talks took place Thursday night.
Samuel was also part of that pre-draft report, and Giardi adds it is now more likely the 49ers move the versatile playmaker than Aiyuk. This would make sense given Aiyuk’s age and superior durability; the 2020 first-round pick is two years younger than Samuel, who turned 28 earlier this offseason. But Samuel is tied to a $23.85MM-per-year contract that runs through 2025. Aiyuk is on a fifth-year option, and an acquiring team would likely need to prepare an extension.
The Patriots discussed Samuel with the 49ers on Thursday, but the team held onto both its wideouts. John Lynch said post-draft a trade should not be ruled out. The 49ers are believed to have asked for a mid-first-round pick for Aiyuk; nothing beyond a second-rounder came back in an offer. It is possible the team is now pivoting to a Samuel trade push, which comes two years after rumblings of a deal impacted the 49ers’ 2022 draft. The 49ers hung onto Samuel then, despite two notable offers (from the Jets and Lions), and extended him. As Aiyuk has proven worthy of a big-ticket extension, the team has a decision to make.
As the 49ers — with a Brock Purdy extension on the horizon — contemplate how to handle their increasingly complex WR situation, the Bills need impact players. In an AFC arms race that has seen the Chiefs separate over the past two years — despite Buffalo’s regular-season success at Arrowhead Stadium — the Bills have watched the Chiefs add Marquise Brown and first-rounder Xavier Worthy to their wideout group. The Bills dealt Diggs to the Texans. With Davis’ second contract coming from the Jags, the Bills are down to the likes of Khalil Shakir and UFA pickup Curtis Samuel. Samuel has proven to be in a much higher class.
Still, it will be interesting to see if the 49ers — given where their contention arc resides — bail on the Samuel-Aiyuk pairing a year before they have to. The team would have the option of franchise-tagging Aiyuk in 2025, though Samuel, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey will be in contract years by then. Rather than unloading Aiyuk now or contemplating a tag-and-trade transaction in an effort to keep the band together for one more season, the 49ers — who drafted Florida wideout Ricky Pearsall at No. 31 — are clearly exploring compensation options for a WR now.
The Bills hold the No. 33 overall pick, while the Patriots sit at No. 34. Buffalo also has its own second-rounder (No. 60). A second-rounder emerged as the prize in the Diggs trade; Samuel is more than two years younger. While Samuel earned All-Pro acclaim in 2021, he has one 1,000-yard season on his resume. The electric run-after-catch performer missed nine games in 2020, four in 2022 and two due to injury (leaving two more contests early) last year. Will the 49ers end up making a preemptive strike tonight?
Deebo or Aiyuk with Allen would be nasty
Yea as nasty as he was with Diggs, which lead to how many Super Bowls? Allen is good but throws way too many picks.
The mob loves the chefs. They don’t like the Hillbillies.
He’s still a top 6 QB
I had Allen as the MVP last year, in my estimation. He outproduced Jackson by a good margin.
The Bills aren’t poorly run, nor is Allen an impediment. Two years in a row, bad luck led to a close Chiefs loss to advance. I hardly blame Allen or the staff for that, and reason is that they seem to try to address the issues each year, rather than taking, say, the classic Packers approach of intentionally ignoring the problem and drafting depth selections. A big X go up and get it type would probably benefit Allen the most, in my estimation. That’s why I liked the Coleman pick. Now that he’s there, someone underneath like Samuel could be a good move, but the Bills passed on Legette knowing that Carolina wanted him, and he’s a similar type of receiver, albeit on a much less proven and likely lesser level. Still, he’d have been a cheaper rookie deal for four (possibly five) years.
Deebo with anyone is nasty, but it’s mostly Deebo in his street clothes watching from the sidelines after the first couple of possessions. As electric as he is, he can’t stay on the field.
Dude he missed like 5 games in the last 3 years. That is hardly “mostly”.
That doesn’t count for times he got injured during a game and was ruled out for the game or missed chunks of a game getting treatment before returning, if he did.
Happened a few times last year.
Happened against packers in playoffs ruled out with shoulder injury
Happened against browns in October for shoulder injury.
@pile Your rose colored glasses are shining through. He had like 5 minutes of ice time and got hurt and watched from afar multiple games last season.
link to espn.com
Trades are unlikely
See the Bills with the first pick in the second round tonight drafting a WR maybe McConkey as a slot receiver, than trade for Samuel would make sense.
What are they trading for Samuel in this scenario?
SF isn’t getting a high pick for Deebo with the injury concerns and high salary since everyone knows they have to deal a WR at some point soon. Aiyuk would have netted a better haul.
That comment doesnt apply to this situation. You are under the assumption the niners have to trade aiyuk or deebo this year. They dont have to. Next off season they do. So if a team wants deebo this year, there is no leverage for the other team. They can pay the premium, or just wait until next offseason like everyone else
the bills could move #60 for Deebo.
and I don’t see mcconkey unless they have Deebo or Higgins already. Mitchell or Coleman I could see without a trade already consummated.
plus if they have Deebo before the round starts, it’s more likely they look at D and draft a player like McCaffrey later (what a scenario that would be)
Why would they trade for him and pay him huge $ and give up draft capital when they can draft their own guy and have them on the cheap? Makes zero sense
Proven commodity vs. rookie who may or may not be the guy. Ask the Chargers how their 1st round receiver dish last season
… because of the mythical “closing window”
Because proven commodities are better than people in the draft that COULD be good.
Should look into Tee. He’s younger and ready for WR1 duties.
Samuel is one of those players who “seems” more valuable than he really is. They should trade him to Dallas, as Jerry loves those kinds of guys.