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Nick Wagoner
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Because the San Francisco 49ers ready at no cost company and the NFL draft final yr, there was a refined however unmistakable sense that huge receiver was a sneaky roster want.
On Saturday, the 49ers agreed to commerce wideout Deebo Samuel Sr. to the Washington Commanders in alternate for a fifth-round choose and now discover themselves in an analogous state of affairs, although there’s nothing sneaky about it this time.
Though a Samuel commerce felt inevitable since he requested it in his end-of-season assembly, it would not make saying goodbye any simpler for basic supervisor John Lynch, who referred to as Samuel considered one of his favourite draft picks since he took over in 2017.
“There’s plenty of love there,” Lynch stated this week on the NFL mix. “There’s plenty of respect there. There’s plenty of shared experiences, so to let that go, that is tough. However time occurs, and if it is sensible for each side, you no less than give it an opportunity.”
With Samuel set to put on a unique jersey for the primary time in his profession, the commerce bumps huge receiver up the record of offseason wants for the Niners. And whereas it is likely to be under fixing the offensive and defensive traces, it is not far behind.
The 49ers have 5 receivers — Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing and Trent Taylor — who caught a move for them in 2024 beneath contract for 2025.
Inside that group, Aiyuk is coming off a torn ACL and MCL in his proper knee, Jennings is getting into the ultimate yr of the contract extension he signed final summer season, Pearsall and Cowing are unproven heading into their second NFL seasons and Taylor spent most of final yr on the apply squad.
Take away Samuel from that group and San Francisco’s returning receivers mixed for 70 receptions for 1,024 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2024, which suggests there’s loads of work for Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan to do on the place.
Earlier than any of that occurs, the 49ers should get a deal with on the standing of Aiyuk. After a roller-coaster contract negotiation final summer season that featured a commerce request of his personal and a handful of close to offers, Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million extension earlier than the season.
That is the contract of a No. 1 receiver, and Aiyuk will probably be anticipated to deal with that function when he returns from his knee harm. In fact, the Niners do not know when that will probably be but.
Aiyuk suffered the knee harm in an October loss to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs after a gradual begin to the season. Lynch stated Aiyuk is “doing effectively” however that he’s slated to fulfill with Dr. Neal ElAttrache quickly for an replace.
“He is placing within the work,” Lynch stated. “That is what it’s important to do. And I’ve all the time stated the true top-end athletes are inclined to heal at a little bit sooner charge, and I feel that is occurring with Brandon as effectively, however there’s like a giant check sooner or later. … We’ll see the place that lies.”
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Deebo Samuel’s touchdowns from final season
Watch all 4 of Deebo Samuel’s touchdowns with the 49ers final season as he is headed to the Commanders in a commerce.
Till Aiyuk returns, the Niners hope Jennings can proceed to hold the freight. Jennings is coming off his finest NFL season, posting profession highs in receptions (77), yards (975) and touchdowns (six). He completed tenth in yards per route run (2.51) and had one drop on prime of being what Shanahan considers among the finest blocking wideouts within the league.
“I proved I simply by no means surrender,” Jennings stated. “First quarter, the fourth quarter, first snap to final snap. JJ simply by no means provides up.”
Coming into 2025, Jennings is slated to depend $4.258 million towards the cap within the ultimate yr of the two-year, $15.39 million extension he signed final offseason. If he authors a robust encore, he may value his contract out of San Francisco’s future plans.
Which is why Pearsall’s improvement will probably be probably the most necessary Niners storylines within the 2025 season. Pearsall received off to a gradual begin as a rookie after hamstring and shoulder accidents value him most of coaching camp, after which he was shot within the chest in an alleged tried theft in San Francisco earlier than the season.
Pearsall missed the primary six video games on the reserve/non-football harm record and did not rating his first landing till Week 10 towards the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However he flashed the potential that made him the No. 31 choose in final yr’s draft when he racked up 18 receptions for 247 yards and a pair of scores over the ultimate three weeks.
The 49ers hope a full offseason will place him to step right into a beginning function and make a large second-year leap.
“I am positively excited to construct on stuff that I left off on and proceed to develop as a participant,” Pearsall stated in January. “And now I do know what’s anticipated. I am not going to be a rookie anymore, so nothing’s going to be actually new, so I am going to be capable to positively develop.”
However even when Jennings and Pearsall construct on final season, the 49ers determine to be gamers within the receiver market in free company and look so as to add extra within the draft. The Niners are anticipated to have 11 picks this yr, pending compensatory decisions. Midmarket veterans corresponding to Robert Woods, Darius Slayton and Amari Cooper may make sense, relying on the price of their contracts.
And although it is unlikely they might use their first choose — No. 11 — on a receiver, it is not out of the realm of risk that it could possibly be a wideout corresponding to Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan if he’s the most effective participant on the board when it is the 49ers’ flip to pick out.
Others, corresponding to Missouri’s Luther Burden III and Mississippi’s Tre Harris, is also intriguing choices in Spherical 2 or with a slight transfer up into the primary spherical.
Final yr, the 49ers signed veterans Chris Conley and Taylor and drafted Pearsall and Cowing within the first and fourth rounds, respectively.
With Samuel gone, it will likely be no shock if the Niners comply with an analogous plan within the coming weeks.
