Deebo Mania Sweeps across NFC
Tyshun Raequan Samuel has a message for other NFL teams not his own: come get me.
Also known as Deebo, the San Francisco 49ers wideout seems finished with the ballclub as frustration culminated on Wednesday.
Ian Rapaport reported moments later that San Francisco offered Samuel attractive extension packages, but “he’s been unwilling to engage.”
So, the why remains a mystery, but the what is a trade request. And the market for Samuel will be robust as the fourth-year playmaker is a hybrid offensive player, blending WR and RB traits within the 49ers innovative offense.
Last season, Samuel gutted the Vikings for 88 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns en route to a playoff-contender-solidifying win over Minnesota in Week 12. After that game, the 49ers playoff credibility rose — all the way to the NFC Championship — while the Vikings bumbled and floundered, finishing 8-9 in Mike Zimmer’s tell-all season.
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In the last two seasons, Samuel ranks 12th in the NFL for yards from scrimmage among WRs (2,187) and 11th in touchdowns by a WR. While Samuel was unabashedly talented in 2020, too, the 49ers figured out how to use him in 2021. He instantly became an offensive powerhouse and fantasy football god.
Whether San Francisco trades Samuel remains to be seen. In theory, the franchise could sit on him for all of 2022, letting him walk during free agency next offseason. Or, general manager John Lynch can trade Samuel, accruing several draft assets for his services. Samuel would likely fetch a 1st-Rounder and more if traded in the coming days.
A team to watch, unfortunately, is the Green Bay Packers, after Davante Adams was traded to Las Vegas in March. Right now, the Packers showcase Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, and Sammy Watkins for wideouts on the depth chart, and nobody is too afraid of that threesome.
The Vikings could pick up the phone to inquire about Samuel, a conversation Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would have with old friends. The Vikings general manager was employed by the 49ers from 2013 to 2019.
Adofo-Mensah, though, would have to unload precious draft capital, which may be better served cultivating the Vikings defense.
Samuel is 26 years old.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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