Steelers Now
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch says the team plans to honor wide receiver Deebo Samuel’s trade request.
Less than a year after the Pittsburgh Steelers failed to trade for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, it seems they will have the chance to land their other star wide receiver. On Wednesday, general manager John Lynch said the team plans to honor wide receiver Deebo Samuel’s trade request.
“He asked for a fresh start and we’re going to honor that,” Lynch said via Clayton Holloway of NFL Network.
John Lynch says they're on good terms with WR Deebo Samuel and they will honor his trade request:
"He asked for a fresh start and we're going to honor that."
— Clayton Holloway (@HollowayNFLN) February 26, 2025
Samuel, 29, is coming off a bit of a disappointing season in which he recorded just 51 catches for 670 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 136 yards and a score.
However, the veteran wide receiver is still expected to have several suitors, given his versatility and experience.
The good news is, he shouldn’t cost too much to acquire. Nick Wagoner of ESPN reported that the 49ers aren’t expecting a major haul in return for Samuel.
“Because Samuel is coming off a down year and is entering the final year of his contract with other top receivers set to be available in free agency or trade, a Day 3 draft pick and perhaps another late-round pick would probably satisfy the 49ers,” Wagoner wrote.
That’s an ideal scenario for the wide receiver-needy Steelers, who also have several other holes to fill on their roster this offseason.
Pittsburgh has more than enough money to put Samuel on its books, too. The Steelers have upwards of $60 million in salary cap space with the ability to make even more room if they wanted to.
Samuel, on the other hand, would cost the Steelers or another acquiring team $17.55 million in 2025, none of which is guaranteed.
The former second-round pick will come at a risk, but he’s a risk worth taking for the Steelers, who have been searching for another legitimate wide receiver for far too long.
In his six NFL seasons, Samuel has caught 334 passes for 4,792 yards and 22 touchdowns. His best season came in 2021, when he caught 77 passes for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns and led the NFL in yards per reception.
