The Seattle Seahawks are being floated as a potential landing spot for San Francisco 49ers star Deebo Samuel.
The Seattle Seahawks are starting to carve out a lead on the rest of the NFC West, but the team may have their eyes on one of their rival’s star receivers. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio believes the Seahawks are a potential landing spot for Deebo Samuel if the San Francisco 49ers look to explore a potential blockbuster trade this offseason. The insider added that the timing of ESPN’s Adam Schefter’s report about the Seahawks’ interest in Samuel is notable.
“The item is far more interesting for what it reports than what it could mean. The timing of the disclosure, tied to the latest Seahawks-49ers game, could be a hint to Deebo that, if/when the 49ers move on from him after the season via trade or release, Seattle will be interested,” Florio wrote in a November 17, 2024, story titled, “Five-year-old Deebo Samuel/DK Metcalf scoop possibly points to more scoops to come.”
Samuel’s three-year, $71.5 million contract is slated to run through the 2025 season. San Francisco has an out in Samuel’s deal this offseason but would take a massive $31 million dead cap hit by releasing the star, per Spotrac. The Niners playmaker would likely generate trade interest if the team looked to move on from Samuel when the season ends.
Could the Seahawks Explore Trading DK Metcalf?
The NFL insider is curious if the Seahawks would explore trading DK Metcalf if the franchise were to strike a trade for Samuel. The odds of landing Samuel given the 49ers are a rival are admittedly slim. Metcalf’s three-year, $72 million contract is also slated to run through the 2025 season.
“It also could be a hint to the league at large that Metcalf is available after the season, especially if the Seahawks can land Deebo,” Florio added. “Remember the report from Schefter at the trade deadline that ‘despite speculation,’ Metcalf won’t be traded? First, there was no credible speculation that he could be traded. Second, that might have been the first priming of the pump for someone to approach the Seahawks after the season.”
The Seahawks Attempted to Trade for Both DK Metcalf & Deebo Samuel Ahead of the 2019 NFL Draft: Report
Schefter reported that the Seahawks were attempting to land both Samuel and Metcalf in the 2019 NFL draft. Seattle tried to orchestrate a draft week trade to land Samuel, but a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders fell through.
“The Seattle Seahawks intended to draft both receivers in the second round that year and thought they had a deal in place to do it, league sources told ESPN on Saturday,” Schefter detailed in a November 16, article titled, “Sources: Seahawks eyed Deebo Samuel-DK Metcalf pairing in 2019 draft.”
“During the first round, the Seahawks traded pick No. 30 to the New York Giants for Nos. 37, 132 and 142 with the idea that — the next night — they would move back up from No. 37 to No. 35 to select Samuel. Shortly before the second round, the Seahawks had a trade worked out with the Raiders to move up to No. 35, with Samuel as the target,” Schefter continued.
“But before that trade was finalized, the Raiders instead decided to send the 35th pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor. To this day, the Seahawks don’t know why the Raiders reneged on the deal, according to sources.”
The advantage of Samuel is the 49ers utilize the playmaker as a receiver and, at times, like a running back. Samuel has only reached 1,000 receiving yards one time during his career.
Through his first 11 appearances in 2024, Samuel posted 38 receptions and 531 receiving yards and a touchdown. Samuel also has 27 carries for 79 yards and a TD. The Seahawks striking a trade for Samuel is likely a long shot but could make for interesting offseason chatter if the Niners do explore potential deals in the coming months.
