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Deebo Samuel wants out.
The disgruntled San Francisco 49ers wide receiver wants to be traded and the team has granted his request to seek a trade partner. Entering the final year of his contract, Samuel now wants a fresh start.
After news of the trade request broke, many fans and pundits quickly linked Samuel to the Denver Broncos. It’s easy to see why — coach Sean Payton has spoken about filling the ‘Joker‘ role in his offense this offseason, and Samuel would give young quarterback Bo Nix another weapon in 2025.
“If he’s someone looking to be kind of a key piece with a good quarterback, I think, in that way, Denver would definitely make sense,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said during an interview on KOA Radio earlier this week.
In what may or may not be a coincidence, Samuel was full of praise for the Broncos during an interview with Bleacher Report that was released one day after the WR’s trade request became public.
“I can say Denver,” Samuel said when asked to name a team that could be special in 2025. “Bo Nix is playing really, really good ball right now. Your defense is outrageous.
“You got [Pat Surtain] out there, who is, I would say, the best at the position right now — probably [has] been for the past two years. You got [Riley Moss] on the other side. I just think you need a couple more pieces and then it’ll be what it need to be and you just have to get past Pat Mahomes every year.”
Samuel himself could be one of those additional pieces that could help put the Broncos over the top, and it’s fair to wonder if his praise for the club was a not-so-subtle message that he would be open to landing in Denver.
Deebo thinks the Broncos could be something special next season
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— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) February 10, 2025
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Samuel will turn 30 on Saturday. He has never returned to the production of his 2021 All-Pro season and his receptions, receiving yards, rushing yards and touchdowns all dipped in 2024. Samuel is also set to have a salary cap hit just north of $15.86 million in 2025.
Samuel will also want a contract extension, and the Broncos might not be willing to lose a draft pick and then give a big contract to a 30-year-old receiver that has seen his production decline. Samuel seems to be hinting that he’s open to landing in Denver, though, so he will be a receiver to keep an eye on in the coming months.