Getty Deebo Samuel on the field in a 2021 game for San Francisco.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel is the talk of the NFL after ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported the star has requested a trade from his current team.
Samuel wiped his social media accounts clean of any 49ers-related posts last week and escalated his cryptic behavior by deleting his Instagram account.
In his third season last year, the 26-year-old receiver earned All-Pro honors as a hybrid weapon in San Francisco — garnering comparison as a more durable Percy Harvin in the 49ers’ system.
Many NFL fan bases have dreamt up trade scenarios where they could snag Samuel in a trade, and a recent photo of Samuel sporting Minnesota Vikings gear has sent the community into a fanfare.
Vikes Insider posted a pair of photos of Samuel working out in a vintage Vikings shirt with the triple threat of Randy Moss, Cris Carter and Jake Reed on the chest — leaving fans oozing over the idea of Samuel becoming the final piece of a new triple threat with Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen.
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Without diving deeper into the Vikings’ cap availability and what Samuel is looking for in a new contract, most Minnesota fans on Twitter were all for Samuel in purple and gold.
At 5-foot-11 and 214 pounds, Samuel was used as a running back, receiver and kick returner with the 49ers. He posted 77 receptions for 1,405 yards and added 365 rushing yards, averaging 6.2 yards per carry on 59 totes in 2021. Samuel scored 14 touchdowns, including an NFL record eight rushing touchdowns in a single season by a receiver.
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It’s safe to say the trio of Samuel, Thielen and Jefferson would recapture the moniker of the “Triple Threat” held by the late ’90s Vikings.
But in the modern NFL where receivers are beginning to garner quarterback-grade contracts, signing Samuel would be a stretch with the Vikings’ current cap situation.
However, it isn’t an impossible feat, especially with Thielen adamant about staying in Minnesota for the entirety of his career.
What It Would Take to Get Samuel
While the Vikings are a longshot to secure Samuel in a trade, they are linked to the star receiver, with general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah being integral in drafting Samuel in San Francisco.
Inside the Vikings’ Will Ragatz suggested the 49ers would be open for a trade involving Minnesota’s first-round pick and a receiver.
“The Vikings could theoretically put together a trade package centered around the No. 12 pick,” Ragatz wrote. “The 49ers don’t pick until No. 61 overall in this year’s draft, so they’ll want a first and more. Minnesota could add in some combination of additional 2022 picks, a 2023 first, and a receiver like Adam Thielen or K.J. Osborn.”
Trading Thielen would clear up the cap space to sign Samuel to a new deal; however, he could be untouchable in trade conversations given his stature in the franchise.
On the surface, the Vikings don’t have the cap space to sign Samuel to an immediate payout with Kirk Cousins on the books until 2023. Samuel could fit if Minnesota would move on to a quarterback on a rookie contract.
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Viral Photo Sparks Trade Talk Involving Vikings, 49ers Star Deebo Samuel