Samuel’s name was the subject of trade rumors before the 2024 draft ended. The team received calls about both Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, but General Manager John Lynch said after the draft the 49ers weren’t interested in trading either player moving forward.
Still, with the 49ers trying to sign Aiyuk to a long-term deal that will make him among the highest-paid receivers in the league, the 49ers likely can’t afford Samuel beyond this season. It’s surely a reason they selected Ricky Pearsall with the 31st overall pick.
“Yeah, I heard [the trade rumors],” Samuel said. “Had a conversation with my agent about it. They was going back and forth with whoever it was. It was a thing at first, but we done moved past it. So we here, and we here to get better.”
Aiyuk earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2023, catching 75 passes for 1,342 yards with seven touchdowns, while Samuel, a first-ream All-Pro in 2021, had a combined 1,117 scrimmage yards and 12 total touchdowns last season.
