Charvarius Ward already doesn’t want to hear it.
Just 12 days after signing a three-year, $42 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers, he’s weighing in on a potential major trade that not only would shake up the NFL landscape but would take away the opportunity for Ward to practice against an All-Pro teammate.
This trade rumbling, however, doesn’t involve quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
One team, according to a March 27 story by ESPN’s Rich Cimini, is “keeping an eye” on three dynamic wide receivers. Listed as one of the three? The 49ers’ Deebo Samuel.
Ward’s response? “BS.”
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Ward’s Response to Report
Cimini wrote that it’s “next receiver up” for the New York Jets, who failed in their bid to pull off a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs for superstar receiver Tyreek Hill. The Chiefs instead traded Hill on March 23 to the Miami Dolphins, the Jets’ AFC East rivals.
On what’s next for the Jets, Cimini wrote:
“The Jets will have to address their wide-receiver issue with a high draft pick … unless another Hill situation arises. A handful of star receivers are entering the final year of their rookie contract, including DK Metcalf (Seattle Seahawks), A.J. Brown (Tennessee Titans) and Deebo Samuel (San Francisco 49ers). The market is blowing up, which might make it harder for their teams to re-sign them.”
Cimini then added this tidbit:
“The Jets have ties to all three. Receiver Elijah Moore played with Brown and Metcalf at Ole Miss and remains close friends with Brown. The coaching staff knows Samuel from its time in San Francisco. To say the coaches have an affinity for Samuel would be an understatement. At this point, there’s no indication that any of them are available, but the Jets are keeping an eye on the situations, just in case.”
About an hour after Cimini tweeted his story early on March 27, Heavy on Jets writer Paul “Boy Green” Esden quoted Cimini in a tweet about the Samuel mention.
The #Jets are “keeping an eye” on AJ Brown (#Titans), DK Metcalf (#Seahawks), & Deebo Samuel (#49ers) in potential trade talks, per @RichCimini.
All 3 are entering the final year of their rookie contracts & with WR market blowing up (contract-wise) something could shake here.
But Ward caught wind of Esden’s tweet and then hit “send” with this response:
Ward Not the Only One Blasting the Idea
Why has the rumbling of Samuel trade talks surfaced? Some believe that the 49ers have taken too long to extend Samuel’s contract. When it comes to lengthy negotiations, fans and pundits sometimes believe tensions are mounting between athlete and team.
Ward said he didn’t see a scenario where the 49ers trade Samuel because they “got business to do in the BAY.”
Ward, a former Chief, isn’t the only one who doesn’t see Samuel reteaming with Jets head coach Robert Saleh, who was the 49ers’ defensive coordinator during Samuel’s first two seasons in the NFL.
“Jets better relax on that AJ talk…,” three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan tweeted on March 27.
And Ted Nguyen of the Athletic tweeted: “No one is prying Deebo away from (Kyle) Shanahan.”
Then, 49ers reporter Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area said on Twitter that she planned to discuss the rumor with 49ers general manager John Lynch.
Will be talking to John Lynch tomorrow to confirm but I do NOT believe there is any truth to ANY stories that involve trading Deebo Samuel.
Finally, one more 49ers reporter — David Lombardi of The Athletic — posted on YouTube his take on the Samuel rumors, calling the situation an “echo chamber.”
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New 49ers $42 Million Addition Rips Latest Trade Rumbling