ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler has provided an update on San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel and his future with the franchise.
Deebo Samuel, who has become one of the biggest dual-threat players in the National Football League in the past few years, helping the San Francisco 49ers both through the air as a wide receiver and along the ground as a running back, has been facing something of an uncertain future at Levi’s Stadium this offseason.
It all started back in April when it was reported by ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington that the 26-year-old had asked for a trade from the organisation, although he wasn’t able to relay exactly what the reasoning was behind his demands.
Samuel seemed to take issue with that though, as he responded on Twitter, before later deleting, that the only people who knew the truth in the matter were him, his agent Tony Dandy and the 49ers themselves:
The 49ers hold strong
In amongst all of these reports though, the 49ers have had their say on the matter also, as they have maintained that they will not be trading him away, with GM John Lynch having to double down on their message during a recent charity event:
It does seem like a ‘where there’s smoke, there’s fire’ situation, otherwise Lynch would be sending out a message that he didn’t ask for a trade rather than them turning away his request for one.
And keeping Samuel is certainly within the organisation's best interest, with his numbers last year alone proving what an incredible weapon he has become, putting up 1,405 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns to complement rushing for 365 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Fowler provides the latest
Speaking on ESPN’s Sportscenter (quoted by Bleacher Report), Fowler spoke about the situation on both sides, and said that both sides are still standing firm on their respective positions, and that the 49ers are still hopeful that they can get Samuel to agree to a new long-term deal:
"I'm told status quo is really when he reported to minicamp; that's the last piece of news that we have here. “Nothing else significant has happened behind the scenes between Samuel and the 49ers. In fact, he hasn't officially rescinded his trade request as far as I've heard. But the 49ers are still hopeful that they can mend this relationship [and] come to a long-term agreement at some point. “Could be closer to training camp or around then, but they'll chip away at this. And really, the trade market has sizzled; around draft time was really the best time to do that. Now, there really hasn't been a lot of buzz or traction.â€
It really does seem like a point of who is going to blink first, but as Fowler hints at, it seems as though the trade market might not be there for Samuel if he thinks another team is going to come in for him, even if he is an incredibly dangerous threat that could slip into any team.
Which might just give the 49ers the upper hand if they can get around the negotiating table. With 73 days until the start of the NFL season, there is still some time for things to be worked out in time before the games begin, but whether or not anything does happen, we’ll just have to wait and see.