Deebo Samuel wants a long-term contract, but not from the San Francisco 49ers.
According to NFL Network, the All-Pro wide receiver asked the 49ers to trade him and has no plans to report for offseason workouts.
Samuel is in the final year of his four-year rookie contract that paid a total of $7,247,476 as a second-round pick in the 2019 draft.
A versatile piece of the 49ers’ offense, Samuel also lines up at running back and in the slot. He posted 1,770 scrimmage yards and 14 total touchdowns in 2021.
Samuel could command a deal worth $20 million to $25 million per season after the market for #1 receivers was reset in recent weeks.
Tyreek Hill (Miami Dolphins) and Davante Adams (Las Vegas Raiders) were traded and netted new contracts to reach the plateau previously hit only by DeAndre Hopkins with the Arizona Cardinals.
The Green Bay Packers own multiple first-round picks as a result of the Adams trade and likely would have interest in Samuel, as would the Indianapolis Colts.
The Colts, 9-8 last season, fell short of the playoff by virtue of a loss at Jacksonville in the regular-season finale and have since remade the roster with moves for quarterback Matt Ryan, defensive end Yannick Ngakoue and cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
But the Colts are thin at wide receiver and don’t have a first-round pick in 2022.
Indianapolis and San Francisco completed a deal for a first-round pick in 2020, with the Colts landing All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner.
Count the Chiefs among teams likely to consider a call to 49ers general manager John Lynch about Samuel. With Hill gone, the Chiefs have been heavily invested in scouting the top wideouts in the 2022 draft class.
The teams got together for the 2019 trade that sent franchise-tagged pass rusher Dee Ford to the 49ers for a second-round pick.
