One of his most venerated 49ers teammates, George Kittle, has realized now is the time for the organization to be honest with themselves about how they might proceed. It’s a process that begins with acknowledgement: of reality, player value, schematic fit and replacement candidates.
That last part might be the most difficult to address.
“You can’t really replace Deebo,” Kittle said during a recent appearance on USA Today’s Sports Seriously. “I think he’s one of the most unique players in the NFL because of what he can do. Well, one, he’s the greatest, best YAC guy besides myself — I’ll hype myself up, I’m pretty good at that, too. But he’s so good when he gets the ball in his hands. The fact that you can line him up in the slot, out wide, in the backfield and do all the fun stuff with him and he breaks tackles, he runs like a running back and he has the burst, he has the speed, he has the agility to get away from guys too, he’s just such a unique player.
“I don’t think you can really replace him. We’re just going to have to build our offense a little bit differently because we don’t have that available to us. But Deebo’s a hell of a football player. I’ve loved being his teammate, I’ve loved sharing the field with him, I’ve loved going to war with him. If that is what happens and he gets traded, I’ll be very sad. But at the same time, I’m always happy for guys to get opportunities and that’s all you can ask for in the NFL.”
Kittle’s assessment of Samuel and the attributes that have made him a special player is incredibly precise. He’s been used as a do-everything weapon since his rookie season of 2019, lining up all over the field and often proving to be the key that has unlocked San Francisco’s offense during their deep playoff runs.
But health has been an issue for the receiver in recent years. He’s appeared in 15 regular-season games in each of his last two seasons, yet he’s frequently on the injury report and played through a number of ailments that have limited his effectiveness.
The 2024 season cannot be used as an entirely accurate assessment of Samuel’s performance in part because the 49ers were ravaged by the injury bug and couldn’t operate at full strength for most of the campaign. But those who have watched the 49ers over the course of Samuel’s career will likely agree that he doesn’t play the same essential role in the offense, which can explain why San Francisco is interested in trading him elsewhere, especially after handing fellow receiver Brandon Aiyuk a lucrative extension last year.
It seems as though it’s only a matter of when, not if, the two parties split, which means it’s time to contemplate how the 49ers will adjust without Samuel in 2025.
“For the three other guys who are still currently on the roster — whether it’s Jauan (Jennings), Aiyuk, who’s coming back from an ACL, Ricky Pearsall, we have Trent Taylor in the slot, we have Jacob Cowing in the slot, we still have Chris Conley,” Kittle said. “When you remove Deebo from the equation, it’s kinda like who’s gonna step up specifically because Aiyuk’s not gonna … I assume he’s not gonna play Week 1. I don’t really know though. It’d be awesome if he did. You’ve got it, Aiyuk, I believe in you.
“But Jauan Jennings has proved that he can play as a No. 1 wide receiver. He had a game with three touchdowns, 170 yards. He can go out there and do it. You’ve just got to go game plan for him, give him some opportunities. Ricky Pearsall had a game at the end of the year last year against the Lions where he had 140, 150 yards and a touchdown. We have guys that can produce.”
Kittle is not wrong. Jennings earned plenty of fans with his surprisingly productive 2024 season, a career year in which he doubled his previous career-best total in receptions (77), nearly broke 1,000 receiving yards and finished with six receiving touchdowns. Pearsall’s strong finish to the 2024 campaign also inspired hope for the future of the 49ers’ receiving corps, perhaps giving general manager John Lynch more confidence as they ponder a life without Samuel.
While the what-if game can be treacherous, the 49ers can play it and feel better about their outlook because they were also missing a key element for most of 2024: running back Christian McCaffrey. His role in the offense as both a runner and pass-catcher would make the departure of Samuel much easier to bear, provided he’s healthy enough to contribute.
“One thing that we missed all of last year that would help the wide receivers is, hey, Christian McCaffrey will probably be back,” Kittle said. “While he wasn’t there for a lot of the year and wasn’t on all the highlight reels and all that stuff, he’ll be back and I’m assuming he’s gonna come back, like, angry because he missed last year, most of it. I think we’re going to get the best version of Christian McCaffrey.
“When you have a guy like Christian, who can run all the routes and still be great in the run game, it opens everything up for our wide receivers, it opens everything up for me, too. So, that combination with coach (Kyle) Shanahan scheming it up, I think it’s gonna be a great recipe for success.”
Over the course of the Shanahan era in San Francisco, 49ers seasons have often been explained by one key variable: health. In seasons in which they’ve avoided devastating injuries, they’ve been quite competitive, reaching the conference championship game four times and going 2-2 in those contests. When the injury bug has become an issue, they’ve finished with double-digit losses.
Health, above all, is the most important element in this equation. A respectable return in a Samuel trade should also help the 49ers bolster their offense moving forward.
For now, it’s merely speculation, but the next month should produce a resolution. Though wistful, Kittle knows the 49ers should be just fine in a post-Samuel world.
