Deebo Samuel Trade Rumors: 3 Teams Who Could Deal For 49ers’ WR

The six-year partnership between the San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Deebo Samuel looks as though it will come to an end this off-season. It was reported on Super Bowl Sunday that Samuel had requested to be traded after the team routinely fell short of its goals, and it looks like he will be playing out the final season of his three-year contract extension elsewhere.

Who might be interested in bringing in the versatile weapon who was once named a First Team All-Pro?

Which Teams Might Be Interested In Trading For Deebo Samuel?

WILD: #49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel is already 29 years old.

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Samuel recently requested a trade, despite having a historically bad season. pic.twitter.com/BXp291WzVH

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) February 19, 2025

Here are three teams that could explore the possibility of trading for Samuel this spring:

Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers may have overachieved in 2024 with the offensive weapons that they had around quarterback Justin Herbert. They finished with an 11-6 record and had the 11th ranked scoring offense in the NFL, but the premiere wide receivers on the team consisted of Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, and Josh Palmer. Upgrading the position will likely be a top priority for Los Angeles during the off-season, and they are projected to have the 5th-most cap space of any team in the NFL this spring.

Could they make a run at Deebo Samuel? Some teams around the league could be wary of Samuel’s advancing age, but the Chargers would likely see his veteran status as a plus. All three of their leading wideouts from last season are currently 25 years old or younger, with both McConkey and Johnston both at age 23.

Carolina Panthers

One of the teams that figures to be the most active on the wide receiver market is the Panthers. Their offense showed signs of life late last season, as it seemed that young quarterback Bryce Young was finally taking steps in the right direction after struggling mightily during the first year and a half of his career. In order to capitalize and bring any type of success into the 2025, they’ll need to provide their young quarterback with a stable of weapons, of which Carolina is seriously lacking this off-season.

Only two players on Carolina’s current active roster caught more than 40 passes last season, and one of them is likely going to be a cap casualty, Adam Thielen was the team’s leader in receptions in 2024, but the team will likely move on this off-season given his advancing age (35 by season’s start) and money owed (over $8 million). Deebo Samuel would give the Panthers a younger option as their veteran wide receiver, and it would be something of a homecoming for the 29-year-old as he was born about 80 miles away from Charlotte in Inman, South Carolina.

Houston Texans

Could the Texans be interested in adding Deebo to the mix for their 2025 season? The experiment with Stefon Diggs is over after just one season, but it remains unclear if Houston will be one of the more active teams on the wide receiver market. They already have a high-priced pass catcher on their books in Nico Collins, whose $18 million price tag ranks 16th in the NFL among wideouts. Bringing in Samuel would give them two players who rank in the top 18 in terms of WR cap hits, and they may just be looking to roll with their cheaper options in Tank Dell and John Metchie.

Samuel has a bit of familiarity with Houston’s head coach. DeMeco Ryans was on the 49ers’ coaching staff from 2017 until 2022, but was on the defensive side of the ball during his tenure.