Coming off yet another heartbreaking postseason loss in the Kyle Shanahan era, many are calling for the San Francisco 49ers to shake up their core this offseason.
The 49ers fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime of Super Bowl 58. It marked their second Super Bowl loss to Patrick Mahomes and company in five years, and that’s before we mention that San Fran also lost back-to-back NFC Championship Games in 2021 and 2022.
49ers writer Grant Cohn of Sports Illustrated made the case for San Francisco to change up their look on offense by trading All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who’s signed for two more years:
“The 49ers need to change what they look for at wide receiver this offseason. The days of searching high and low for glorified running backs who excel after the catch but don’t run good routes or get themselves open effectively are over.
Yes, I’m talking Deebo Samuel.
He was a cheat code when he was younger. He could catch a short pass or a shovel pass or a pitch and take it to the house. Which means he was perfect for Garoppolo, because Garoppolo wasn’t a precise passer. You couldn’t trust him to throw the ball outside the numbers or more than 10 yards downfield. So he needed a wide receiver who could double as a running back.
Brock Purdy doesn’t need a gimmick wide back.”
Samuel has been a vital part of the 49ers’ offense since his 2019 rookie year. The so-called “wing back” has put up over 800 yards of offense in four of his five NFL seasons, doing it all as a runner and potent pass-catcher.
There’s no indicator that the 49ers are looking to trade Samuel, and the odds of getting equal value in a potential move are slim. If anything else, the 49ers will likely look to run it back with the same core and see if the bounces will finally go their way in the quest for a sixth Super Bowl.
