SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch was in no hurry to answer questions about receiver Deebo Samuel in his preliminary media availability draft Monday.
Before Lynch opened the nearly 30-minute session for questions, he spent about 5½ of those minutes thanking his staff for their hard work on the upcoming NFL draft and discussing the draft itself. A brief mention of Samuel was interspersed, but only to say that he had no intention of divulging details of the situation.
Eventually, the requests came in bunches, and while Lynch didn’t reveal why Samuel requested a trade, any details on the negotiations, or how things got to this point, he made it clear that the Niners have little desire to see the star receiver/ Running to act back.
“I can’t imagine ever wanting to walk away from Deebo,” Lynch said. “You do the exercises, although we don’t have a choice for the first round, you have to be thorough in this process and prepare for everything. So go through it and do that. He’s just too good a player… We have nothing but love for him and nothing but appreciation for what he’s brought, but you just don’t let guys like that go. So I can’t think of a scenario where we would do that [trade him].”
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Samuel told ESPN’s Jeff Darlington last week that he had requested a trade, and later reports noted that Samuel had refused to sign the Niners for a possible contract extension. Samuel is entering the final year of his rookie contract, a deal capped at just under $5 million in 2022.
Lynch confirmed reports that Samuel had requested a trade, but declined to add much more, noting that discussing details of contract negotiations was “not productive”. However, Lynch said the team and Samuel have been in touch over the past few weeks and that the Samuel situation hasn’t changed the team’s approach to the NFL draft.
The 49ers have no choice in the first round and Lynch said he expects Thursday night to be “a bit boring” because of it.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that speculation about a possible Samuel trade will wane ahead of this first round. When asked if a significant offer could change the Niners’ minds about the deal with Samuel, Lynch left the door ajar.
“Since we’ve been here, we’ve been consistent that we’d listen to just about anyone,” Lynch said. “We will always do that. But I can’t imagine ever moving away from Deebo. He was such a great player for us. He means so much to this franchise.”
Samuel is enjoying a dynamic, unique season in which he has 77 receptions for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns with 365 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground when he coined the term “wide back” for his ability to switch receivers and forwards traditional running back.
Some accounts suggest that Samuel was not comfortable with this use as it puts additional stress on his body. During and after the season, Samuel did not raise any such concerns and the sides appeared to be moving towards a long-term agreement this off-season ahead of Samuel’s trade request.
So it was a bit confusing to see why Samuel is now interested in leaving San Francisco.
“But that’s life,” Lynch said. “You have to work your way through things and that’s what we intend to do.”
Meanwhile, the 49ers began their offseason training program last week without Samuel. According to players in the building, Samuel’s situation wasn’t a big topic of discussion.
“Deebo’s business is his business,” said offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey. “It’s never something players talk about except congratulations after contract negotiations… But it’s no secret what Deebo means to our football team. He’s one of our best players, if not our best, and he deserves whatever comes his way, but obviously it’s between these guys and they have to figure it out.
Linebacker Fred Warner, who found himself in a similar situation to Samuel last year, eventually became the highest-paid (at the time of signing) off-ball linebacker in league history just before training camp opened in July. Warner said it took a lot of patience, but it finally worked.
“We all care about Deebo,” Warner said. “We all understand if it’s that part of the process, that player has to go through it somehow. People who have been through it are here to help him if he has any questions or anything but he is a grown man. He has to go through that process and we all have to respect that. That’s the business side of the game…that’s his process right now.
Another player going through this process is defensive end Nick Bosa, who is also a first-time candidate for a contract extension. On Monday, the Niners exercised the fifth-year option on Bosa, who does not participate in the early, voluntary portion of the offseason program, but not for contractual reasons.
Lynch reiterated that a deal for Bosa, like that of Samuel, is a priority and will come “at the right time”.
Elsewhere, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is still working his way back from right shoulder surgery and rehab in Los Angeles while the Niners await trade development.
“We have been in touch with his representative and in communication with him,” Lynch said. “I think the progress is good so he’s pretty much following what we said and throwing towards the end of June and then ramping it up from there. That’s where that is.”
Alex Mack, the team’s 36-year-old center, who just wrapped up his 13th NFL season, hasn’t yet decided whether he will return to the team or retire. Lynch hinted that Mack will reveal that choice when he makes it.
“We spoke to Alex and communicated with him,” Lynch said. “I would say I’m not going to speak for Alex on that. I think Alex will comment on that in due course.”
The 49ers have nine picks in the NFL draft with three on Day 2. An early pick in the middle is likely regardless of Mack’s decision, but could also be an indicator of where this is headed.