It's only a matter of time before the 49ers trade or release Deebo Samuel.
He recently requested a trade and multiple teams are interested in his services according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. It's possible the 49ers could trade him sometime between now and during the draft for a fourth- or fifth-round draft pick.
But if the 49ers trade Samuel before June 1, they will lose $15.6 million in salary cap space. And if he's still on the team on March 22, they'll have to give him $15.4 million due to an option bonus in his contract. You can bet the 49ers won't give Samuel all that cash just to trade him a few weeks later.
So here are the 49ers' options. They can trade Samuel before March 22 for a late draft pick and lose more than $15 million in cap space. Or, they can cut Samuel before March 22 while designating the transaction a post-June-1 release and create more than $5 million in cap space.
That's why the 49ers are likely to release Samuel before March 22. Trading him for a mere Day 3 pick isn't worth the dead cap hit the 49ers would have to take to trade him. They need cap space more than they need another late draft pick considering they seem on the verge of making Brock Purdy one of the highest-paid players in the NFL.
Expect the 49ers to release Samuel no later than March 21.
