The Deebo Samuel San Francisco 49ers' saga has been a wild ride. He went from helping to lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl last year and revolutionizing the way some players could be used on the gridiron to being rendered ineffective in just one year. Now, he wants out of the bay, and the 49ers are equally committed to making that happen.
Starting in 2021, Kyle Shanahan unlocked the full potential of Samuel, turning him into an equally dynamic receiver and ball carrier. He caught 77 balls for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns while also carrying the ball 59 times for 365 yards and adding eight touchdowns on the ground. The 49ers 2021 campaign ended in the conference championship with a loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, but not before they beat the Green Bay Packers 13-10 in the Divisional Round at a snowy Lambeau field.
After a down year in 2022 from Samuel, the 49ers reached the NFC Conference title game yet again, but we all know what happened in that game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Coming back in 2023, Samuel had a dominant year, both through the air and on the ground. He helped the 49ers to the Super Bowl. In the NFC Championship game, they squeaked out a 24-21 win against the underdog Packers.
This past year he looked noticeably slow and struggled with dropping passes. He battled injury the entire year and only managed 806 all-purpose yards and only four touchdowns.
Should the Green Bay Packers trade for Deebo Samuel?
Now, with time for a payday and feeling like negotiations have stalled, he wants out. And the 49ers are ready to work with him to make that happen.
One 49ers reporter said, "He is not in shape. I keep hearing it, 20 pounds overweight. And that led to a lot of his lack of explosion, in their belief, his lack of ability to get through tackles, [which has] kind of been who he is. That's why he's so valuable. It's not because he's outrunning people."
On the Reddit page of the Packers, the question 'Would you want Deebo on the Packers?' was posed to fans. The answers? A resounding no. Besides not being in football shape, Samuel has never played in cold weather between playing for South Carolina and the 49ers. And, he was neutralized in that 2021 game against the Packers.
He may not have the same juice, but Deebo paved the way for how some players are used within an offense. No one has been able to replicate that production since.