The San Francisco 49ers are expected to have an active offseason. There are questions surrounding a Brock Purdy extension, retooling the roster, and Deebo Samuel officially requested a trade.
That news was revealed on Sunday, which came as a surprise to fans around the league. Immediately, different locations have been thrown out, and Samuel even hinted at playing with the Denver Broncos.
With the South Carolina product officially on the trade block, people are looking to gauge his trade value. Nick Wagoner of ESPN revealed that San Francisco will likely land a Day 3 pick in exchange for Samuel.
Meanwhile, Tim Kawakami of the SF Standard hopped on the "Willard and Dibs" podcast and talked about what's going on behind the scenes.
Tim Kawakami explains why 49ers were 'unhappy' with Deebo Samuel before trade requesthttps://t.co/kkoOHwZiCK pic.twitter.com/Sao8dR2pED
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49ers Might End up Keeping Deebo Samuel
He said that the 49ers weren't happy with Samuel's weight and the way he's looked on the field. Kawakami stated, "I've heard for a few weeks now that the 49ers were unhappy with Deebo's weight at the end of the season," Kawakami said. "Now, he got hurt. Some of this happens, but they were not happy. We saw it. He did not have the explosion. He was not bouncing off of people. He was not running through a defense like he'd done at least two, three years ago."
Despite that, Kawakami added that he might end up staying in San Francisco.
"It's just the reality of the way things develop. And I think at this point, he probably will not be a 49er, but there's still a chance he could still remain a 49er."Tim Kawakami
The 49ers have Brandon Aiyuk coming off an ACL/MCL tear, which puts more on the plate of the other receivers. If San Francisco moved on from Samuel, they would have to lean on Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall before looking to add more receivers.
Samuel has one year left on his current deal and has shown the ability to be productive in Kyle Shanahan's scheme.
If they can hash things out, there could be a pathway for Samuel to return to San Francisco.