Steelers Now
The San Francisco 49ers will release wide receiver Deebo Samuel if they’re unable to trade him, 49ers beat writers Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard and Matt Barrows of The Athletic said on their 49ers +/- podcast.
The 49ers have given Samuel, who is entire the final season of his contract in 2025, permission to seek a trade, but it goes beyond that. According to Kawakami, both Samuel and the 49ers are ready to move on from one another, with the 49ers upset by his lack of fitness.
“I have heard that the two sides are separating, in their minds,” Kawakami said. “Now, things can change. Who knows? If he has no opportunities out there, that might be different. But I don’t think he has no opportunities if the 49ers release him. He might even get a nice new deal, but as a released player, not as a traded player, more likely.”
Kawakami said that he’s heard 49ers sources say that Samuel is 20 pounds overweight, which has sapped him of the explosiveness that made him an All-Pro earlier in his career.
Samuel, 29, had a significant down-turn in his production in 2024, likely furthering the 49ers’ decision on trading him. In 15 games in 2024, Samuel caught 51 of 81 targets for 670 yard and three touchdowns. His 44.7 yards per game was a career low, as the entire 49ers offense struggled with injuries and a downturn in results, despite being loaded up for a Super Bowl run in 2024.
“I think that releasing him and allowing him to kind of choose his next home is probably the way this is going to go,” Burrows said.
Trading Samuel would come at a significant financial cost to San Francisco, which would absorb a $31.55 million dead cap hit. If traded, he would cost the Steelers or another acquiring team $17.55 million in 2025, of which none is guaranteed, though he is due a $15.4 million option bonus on March 22.
If released, he could negotiate a new contract with a new team whenever he wants. The 49ers could also designate his release as post-June 1 and spread out the dead cap hit over two seasons.
