The San Francisco 49ers might only be asking for Day Three draft pick in exchange for star wide receiver Deebo Samuel, according to a report on Tuesday by ESPN — a price that would surely fit the Pittsburgh Steelers budget for acquiring a wide receiver of his caliber.
Nick Wagoner, the 49ers beat reporter for ESPN, wrote on Tuesday that San Francisco is not expecting a major haul in return for Samuel, who is entering the final year of his contract.
“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. “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.”
The 49ers have plenty of draft picks in the 2025 NFL Draft as it stands, with two third-round picks, three fourth-round picks and three seventh-round picks. The 49ers do not have a fifth-round pick.
Trading Samuel would come at a significant financial cost to San Francisco, which would absorb a $31.55 million dead cap hit. 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.
Despite all that, it seems likely that the 49ers will move on from Samuel, after signing Brandon Aiyuk to a long-term contract and drafting both Jacob Cowing and Ricky Pearsall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Samuel, 29, also had a 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.
The 6-foot, 215-pound wide receiver was the 49ers’ second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of South Carolina. In his six NFL seasons, he’s 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.
