{"id":10568,"date":"2024-11-20T23:38:29","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T23:38:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=10568"},"modified":"2024-11-20T23:38:29","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T23:38:29","slug":"report-49ers-parting-ways-with-deebo-samuel-in-2025-actually-makes-some-sense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=10568","title":{"rendered":"REPORT: 49ers parting ways with Deebo Samuel in 2025 actually makes some sense"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The 49ers letting go of Deebo Samuel this upcoming offseason has some merits.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"San<\/picture><\/figure>\n
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (1) \/ Kevin Sabitus\/GettyImages<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
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According to ESPN\u2019s Dan Graziano, the 49ers could move on from Deebo Samuel in 2025 despite the receiver being under contract. It might not be a bad idea.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The San Francisco 49ers were going to have some tough conversations at the outset of 2025 regardless of how the current season went down.<\/p>\n

However, after a sluggish first half-plus that saw head coach Kyle Shanahan\u2019s squad get out to a 5-5 start, those tough conversations might get even tougher than anticipated. Especially if the Niners fail to make the postseason for the first time since 2020.<\/p>\n

Getting younger, cheaper, deeper and more dynamic on offense have to be the priorities, and all of those point to some potentially massive roster decisions by Shanahan and Co.<\/p>\n

One that might including bidding farewell to wide receiver\u00a0Deebo Samuel.<\/p>\n

On the surface, parting ways with a fan-favorite like Samuel doesn\u2019t seem like a smart move. Defenses should fear his dual-threat abilities while knowing he has that unique ability to take over games.<\/p>\n

But, according to\u00a0ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano, the Niners may opt to release Samuel as part of their ever-evolving roster plans entering 2025.<\/p>\n

It might not be a bad move either.<\/p>\n

Deebo Samuel is far removed from his 2021 All-Pro self<\/h2>\n

Samuel\u2019s 2021 All-Pro campaign was awesome. It sealed his reputation for being a dynamic, versatile playmaker.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, that was years ago.<\/p>\n

Samuel\u00a0admitted his 2022 efforts\u00a0were \u201cawful\u201d and improved upon them notably in 2023, albeit nowhere near 2021 levels. But 2024 is shaping up to be a lot more like 2022 than last season.

Through nine games, he has 490 receiving yards, 79 rush yards and two net touchdowns.<\/p>\n

Quoting\u00a0Jose Sanchez of\u00a0Sports Illustrated<\/em>:<\/p>\n

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\u201cSamuel is a non-factor as a receiver. He can\u2019t separate at all and is no better than an average receiver. It\u2019s why he can\u2019t do anything as an underneath receiver. He can\u2019t break free from defenders to do what he does best as a yards-after-the-catch-playmaker. 2024 is looking like 2022 for Samuel, which isn\u2019t surprising.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

At 28 years old, Samuel should still have a lot left to offer. And it\u2019s possible he\u2019s merely having a down year.<\/p>\n

But, there are far more reasons why San Francisco might opt to part ways with him as Graziano suggested.<\/p>\n

49ers need to save money, releasing Deebo Samuel can help<\/h2>\n

Exactly how much money the 49ers offer quarterback Brock Purdy in 2025 when he\u2019s due for a contract extension is up for debate, but the clear answer is it\u2019s going to be\u00a0a lot<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Currently, according to\u00a0Over the Cap, the Niners are projected to have a shade over $48 million in cap space next year, although a lot of that is going Purdy\u2019s way. In 2026, the first year of Purdy\u2019s post-rookie deal, San Francisco is projected to have a mere $5 million in cap space.<\/p>\n

Last offseason, the 49ers approached defensive tackle Arik Armstead about accepting a pay cut. He refused, and the Niners subsequently released him with a post-June 1 designation to free up cap space.<\/p>\n

They could do the same with Samuel, who\u2019d have no reason to accept a decrease in pay.<\/p>\n

Graziano said:<\/p>\n

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\u201cReleasing Samuel and designating him as a post-June 1 cut would allow them to defray that cost over two years, and if they do decide to move on, that\u2019s the more likely decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Samuel is signed through 2025 and is due nearly $16 million next season. Per OTC, a post-June 1 release would still hit San Francisco with $10.75 million in dead money in 2025 and 2026 (a void year) but would generate $5.2 million and $22.39 million in savings over those two years, respectively.<\/p>\n

If the 49ers feel Samuel is replaceable (ever player essentially is) and that money is best used elsewhere, it becomes an easy choice.<\/p>\n

49ers may opt to thin out their wide receiver room<\/h2>\n

Fellow wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk\u2019s devastating ACL and MCL tears throw a wrench into the Niners\u2019 long-term plans, as there\u2019s a real chance\u00a0he might not be ready\u00a0for the start of the 2025 season.<\/p>\n

Even if he is, there\u2019s no guarantee he\u2019ll be anything close to the same kind of player he was, previously.<\/p>\n

Still, San Francisco has plenty of talent at the position. It opted to keep the 2024 upstart, Jauan Jennings, under contract through 2025, and he\u2019s shown he can be a WR1 when called upon. And the first-round NFL Draft investment in Ricky Pearsall needs to play itself out, too.<\/p>\n

Hence, a trio of Aiyuk, Jennings and Pearsall isn\u2019t exactly a bad one for the 49ers to field. In fact, it might actually be a bit of an optimization to remove Samuel from the picture.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for the Niners, they still have the rest of the year to figure out whether or not that\u2019s the direction they want to go.<\/p>\n

But it should at least be on the table.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 49ers letting go of Deebo Samuel this upcoming offseason has some merits. San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (1) \/ Kevin Sabitus\/GettyImages According to ESPN\u2019s… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":10569,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nREPORT: 49ers parting ways with Deebo Samuel in 2025 actually makes some sense - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=10568\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"REPORT: 49ers parting ways with Deebo Samuel in 2025 actually makes some sense - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The 49ers letting go of Deebo Samuel this upcoming offseason has some merits. 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