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Charles “Peanut” Tillman spent 12 of his 13 NFL seasons with the Chicago Bears, playing in the Windy City from 2003-14.
The former All-Pro cornerback, who has more fumble recoveries than any other defensive back in NFL history (44, also tied for sixth all-time amongst all positions), retired from football after a lone season with the Carolina Panthers in 2015.
A beloved fan favorite, Tillman didn’t go the typical route after leaving the game and move to broadcasting or coaching — he became an FBI agent instead — but that hasn’t kept him from sharing occasional thoughts and opinions on the team via social media.
On April 20, after ESPN insider Jeff Darlington reported San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel wants to be traded, Tillman took to Twitter to recruit the young wideout.
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Tillman to Deebo: Bears Fans Will Love You for Life
One of the top needs for the Bears heading into the 2022 draft is wide receiver, but with just six total picks this year — and none in the first round — the Bears simply don’t have the draft capital to trade for Samuel right now. That didn’t stop Tillman from driving the recruitment train, though.
The Bears legend tagged Samuel and urged him to be a part “of something great” in Chicago. “This city and these fans will love you for life,” Tillman added.
Tillman was part of the last Bears team to go to the Super Bowl back in 2006, but Chicago has won just one playoff game since that time. The team is in rebuilding mode and new general manager Ryan Poles has stayed away from trading away draft picks.
Considering the 49ers would likely want a ton of capital in exchange for his services, the Bears don’t make much sense as a logical landing spot.
What might the 49ers be looking for in return for Samuel? New Miami Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill’s trade package included three 2022 picks: a first rounder (No. 29), a second rounder (No. 50) and a fourth-rounder, along with fourth and sixth round picks in 2023. It’s likely San Francisco will be looking for something along those lines.
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ESPN Report Says Samuel Wants Out of San Francisco
“I just spoke to wide receiver Deebo Samuel — and he told me that he has asked the 49ers to trade him,” ESPN insider Darlington tweeted on April 20. “He did not want to discuss specific reasons behind his request, but he has indeed let the 49ers know his desire to leave the organization.”
Samuel ‘liked‘ Darlington’s tweet, along with the following one from NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, which stated Samuel had requested to be traded at least a week prior:
Samuel noted in a video widely circulated on Twitter April 15 that he has been getting death threats and receiving racist messages from 49ers fans likely upset about his wanting to negotiate a new contract, so he does not seem happy.
“All y’all fans in the DMs sending death threats and racist stuff, like that don’t bother me bro,” Samuel said in the video. “It don’t. Y’all was the same ones that was ‘hoo-rahing’ and ‘go Deebo-ing’. Now y’all wanna send death threats and send all this racial stuff? It don’t bother me bro, I’m cool.”
It’ll be fascinating to watch how the situation with Samuel plays out, but unfortunately for Tillman and the rest of Bears Nation, he likely won’t be coming to the Windy City.
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