Getty 49ers WR Deebo Samuel looks on during pregame warm-ups.
All eyes are fixated on every move Deebo Samuel makes since he stirred the NFL drama pot by requesting a trade from the San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday, April 20. The All-Pro “wide back” dropped the news per ESPN NFL insider Jeff Darlington, igniting a wildfire of mixed reactions on social media.
“Breaking News: I just spoke to wide receiver Deebo Samuel — and he told me that he has asked the 49ers to trade him,” Darlington tweeted.
While football heavy hitters from all over have been weighing in on the situation, including 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, fans are hopping into the fray and have taken to Twitter to vent their frustrations and express their predictions (and far-fetched hopes) on where Samuel might land if he gets his way.
For my sanity’s sake, I don’t know if I can handle a Deebo Samuel trade.
We’ll be looking at four straight months of “Is Deebo even that good?” tweets.
“Deebo set the tone for the #49ers in every way that a team leader sets the tone for a team…production, explosive clutch play making, TOUGHNESS…it was Deebo that did it. Everyone there knows it. Admitted it. What happened in this relationship? What a disappointing situation,” ESPN’s Louis Riddick tweeted on April 21.
The real Deebo Samuel trade request are the friends we made along the way.
“Trading Deebo Samuel would be the worst decision in 49ers football history,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
Call me crazy, but I think Deebo Samuel will remain with the #49ers.
“You a fake a** ‘fan’ for calling out Deebo Samuel. This a grown man looking out for his family — who’s put in more work/time into his craft than you can even imagine. Racist notes and death threats? Are you kidding me? Complete 
and a huge L. Deebo doesn’t owe anyone anything!” NFL insider Jordan Schultz wrote.
Fans have even resorted to digging up an old tweet of Samuel’s that he made in March, which sparked rumors that the receiver might have been considering a move to Miami.
#Faithful
I train in Miami that’s why I asked for a realtor down there I’m not going nowhere……. Calm down
The tweet has since been retweeted and quote tweeted following the April 20 bombshell.
Adding to the gossip surrounding the old tweet, some outlets, including Sports Illustrated, pointed out that former 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is now the Miami Dolphins head coach.
“Samuel, who has spent this entire three-year career in McDaniel’s offensive system, flourished last season in his role as part-time route running, part-time ball carrier and full-time playmaker,” Sports Illustrated reported.
Wishful Thinking
There are also players in the league who wasted absolutely no time and seized the opportunity to lure the versatile 26-year-old over to their teams.
New England Patriots players DeVante Parker and Mack Wilson jumped on the recruit bandwagon and tweeted at Samuel. “Nothing wrong with both us being on the @Patriots this season,” Wilson wrote.
👀 @19problemz nothing wrong with both us being on the @Patriots this season. 💪🏾 #GetDeeboToNE
Parker quote tweeted his teammate in agreement.
While New England does fall on the Deebo potential landing spot radar according to some analysts, other teams like the New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts and the Green Bay Packers are higher on that list, NFL.com says.
Reported Tension
While Darlington said that Samuel didn’t want to “discuss specific reasons” of wanting out of the Bay Area, numerous media outlets expressed that the wide back’s desire to leave is rooted in the way the 49ers use him on offense, mainly in his role as a utility player, according to CBS Sports.
“There are some questions and some frustrations from his standpoint about this usage,” Ian Rapoport said on April 20 on NFL Network. “He takes a lot of hits, used like a running back, put all over the field and it just does not sound like he’s comfortable with the way he’s being used.”
NFL Network tweeted a breakdown of Samuel’s usage as a running back during the second half of the 2021 season, which “might just reinforce the All-Pro’s reported frustrations,” NBC Sports noted.
Some really interesting @NextGenStats on Deebo’s use last season: #nfl
Based on the data, after Samuel’s backfield usage went from 2.1% of snaps to 21.1%, his role as a top receiver diminished and he went from averaging 6.1 receptions per game to 3.5 in his last 11 games.
While Samuel didn’t confirm the trade news, he did post, and then delete, a tweet expressing that he, his agent Tory Dandy and the 49ers are the only ones who know the truth.
Deebo Samuel’s now-deleted tweet says only he, his agent and the #49ers know what’s really happening. Samuel told @JeffDarlington he requested a trade. That part is not in question. The reason(s) for the request is (are) not known at this point.
