Report: Lions offered first and third-round picks for 49ers’ Deebo Samuel

Multiple big-name wide receivers were traded during the 2022 NFL Draft, but All-Pro offensive weapon Deebo Samuel was not among them despite his much-publicized desire to leave the San Francisco 49ers while in the final year of his rookie contract so he can sign a massive extension elsewhere. 

Following the draft’s opening round, The Athletic’s Matt Barrows reported that the New York Jets “offered pick No. 10 and a fifth-rounder in exchange for Samuel and the 49ers’ second-rounder, No. 61 overall.” Barrows also noted at that time that the Detroit Lions had phoned the 49ers about Samuel. 

According to David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport offered more information about the Lions’ proposal during his Monday appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show.” 

“The Lions offer was, I think, a one and a three, and the 49ers didn’t view that as a good enough offer [either],” Rapoport explained. “And they wanted to keep the player anyway, so they just didn’t trade him.”

Rapoport previously claimed that Samuel was “uncomfortable with how he was used in Kyle Shanahan’s offense in 2021” when he tallied 1,405 receiving yards, 365 rushing yards, and 14 touchdowns. The 26-year-old hasn’t publicly confirmed why he wishes to be traded, and Rapoport didn’t offer any specifics on Monday. 

“I’d say there was some other issues below the surface that Deebo feels some sort of way about,” Rapoport added during the segment. “We’ve seen it get fixed in the past … We’ve seen players who asked to be traded and then came back, so it’s not impossible.

“And [general manager John] Lynch and Shanahan are very charismatic, so perhaps they can do it. But they’ve got to bring Deebo back into the fold. They’ve been willing to do a contract. That generally helps people feel better.”

As Mike Florio wrote for Pro Football Talk on Sunday, Lynch said after the draft that “nothing’s changed” regarding Samuel’s status and his plan to keep the versatile star. 

Leave a Reply