The San Francisco 49ers didn’t make it back to the Super Bowl this year, but they still found ways to make headlines the day of the Big Game.
San Francisco wide receiver Deebo Samuel requested a trade after the season ended, and on Sunday, news broke that the 49ers had given Samuel and his agent permission to seek a trade partner.
A potential trade is likely the best-case scenario for both sides. Niners quarterback Brock Purdy is eligible to sign an extension this offseason, the team just paid Brandon Aiyuk No. 1 wide receiver money last year and Samuel has a potential out on his contract this year. If the 29-year-old is looking for a bigger payday, he’s more likely to find it elsewhere.
Here’s everything to know about what could be an eventful offseason ahead for Samuel:
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Deebo Samuel next team odds
The 49ers are still the favorite to be Samuel’s team in 2025, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Other wide receiver-needy teams – the Steelers, Broncos, Panthers and Commanders – trail behind them.
Here are all 32 teams’ odds to have Samuel on their rosters by Week 1 of the 2025 season:
San Francisco 49ers: +250
Pittsburgh Steelers: +550
Denver Broncos: +650
Carolina Panthers: +650
Washington Commanders: +850
New England Patriots: +1000
Kansas City Chiefs: +1200
Buffalo Bills: +1200
Los Angeles Chargers: +1400
New York Giants: +1600
Las Vegas Raiders: +1600
Baltimore Ravens: +1600
Houston Texans: +1800
Tennessee Titans: +2500
Philadelphia Eagles: +2500
Detroit Lions: +2500
Green Bay Packers: +3000
Chicago Bears: +3000
New York Jets: +3500
Miami Dolphins: +3500
Los Angeles Rams: +4000
Jacksonville Jaguars: +4000
Dallas Cowboys: +4000
Cincinnati Bengals: +4000
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: +5000
Indianapolis Colts: +5000
Atlanta Falcons: +5000
Arizona Cardinals: +5000
Seattle Seahawks: +7500
New Orleans Saints: +7500
Minnesota Vikings: +7500
Cleveland Browns: +7500
Deebo Samuel landing spots
What would be the best landing spot for Samuel? Here’s how he’d fit in with the teams that are favored to land the 49ers receiver:
San Francisco 49ers (+250)
We have six years of actual data to show how Samuel fits in with the 49ers. This past season seemed to have indicated that his future role in San Francisco, if he remains, will be more diminished than it was for the early years of his career. Jauan Jennings saw 32 more targets and hauled in 26 more passes than Samuel in 2024.
Samuel has one more year left on his contract as well as a potential out. Given Aiyuk’s payday last offseason and Purdy’s upcoming extension, it’s hard to see where Samuel fits in the 49ers’ plans both on the field and in their cap allocations for 2025.
Pittsburgh Steelers (+550)
Pittsburgh’s contributions from the wide receivers room were lackluster in 2024. Of the Steelers’ top five pass-catchers by yardage, only two of them – George Pickens and Calvin Austin – played wide receiver. Tight end Pat Freiermuth and the running back duo of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren took up the other three spots.
The team’s midseason acquisition of Mike Williams did little to improve the state of the receivers room. The Steelers will be heavily targeting another wideout to pair with Pickens this offseason and will remain high on the potential landing spots list of any free agent, trade target or draft prospect that plays wide receiver.
Samuel in particular is a nice fit in Pittsburgh as a ‘Z’ receiver (or flanker) that can pair with Pickens, who is more of a big-bodied ‘X’ (or split end).
Denver Broncos (+650)
The Broncos’ passing game in 2024 was quarterback Bo Nix, wide receiver Courtland Sutton … (WIDE GAP) … then everyone else. Sutton saw more than twice as many targets (135) as Denver’s cast of secondary receivers – Marvin Mims Jr. (52), Devaughn Vele (55), Troy Franklin (53) and Lil’Jordan Humphrey (45).
Denver is another team that will be seeking a No. 2 receiver in the offseason to pair with the dominant Sutton. Samuel is once again a nice option for the Broncos to fill the ‘Z’ spot opposite Sutton, a No. 1, ‘X’ receiver.
Carolina Panthers (+650)
The late-season surge of quarterback Bryce Young is no doubt something the Panthers are hoping to build off of in 2025. To capitalize on the strong foundation Young built for himself in 2024, Carolina will need to upgrade its receiving corps. Rookies Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker had solid debut seasons, but Legette struggled with drops and Coker projects better as a third/slot option. Veteran Adam Thielen had an impressive season despite injuries, but he’ll be 35 next season.
If the Panthers want another outside receiver that also brings an additional veteran presence to the room, Samuel could be one of their best options. That’s especially true if it allows them to spend their earlier picks on improving the rest of the roster, rather than on another young wideout.
Washington Commanders (+850)
The Commanders’ passing offense situation is extraordinarily similar to Denver’s. They’ve got a quarterback coming off of a stellar rookie season … and only one great receiver. Olamide Zaccheaus and Noah Brown, the two secondary wide receiver targets, are both set to become free agents, and neither of them reached even half of Terry McLaurin’s production in 2024.
After cornerback, wide receiver should be the next top priority for Washington in the offseason. Samuel would be a good option with a unique kind of versatility that both quarterback Jayden Daniels and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury could take advantage of.