According to ESPN's Jeff Darlington, Deebo Samuel has officially requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers. This was only a matter of time after the two sides could not agree to a contract extension as Samuel will likely join Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams as the star receivers who were traded this offseason.
While some think that the Chargers are a logical destination for Samuel (and with cap maneuvering next season, it could be possible), it is more likely that Samuel will find a different home for the 2022 season.
Samuel may not don the powder blue but him being traded this offseason does have an impact on the Chargers and the 2022 NFL Draft. When Samuel does eventually get traded, it will be the final nail in the coffin for Jameson Williams potentially falling to the Chargers with the 17th overall pick.
How a Deebo Samuel trade impacts Jameson Williams and the LA Chargers:
There are two teams ahead of the LA Chargers in the 2022 NFL Draft that make the most sense for Deebo Samuel. The Philadelphia Eagles have the 15th overall pick in the draft with the means to trade for Samuel and afford an extension in the future.
More likely than that, though, is the team that tried trading for Tyreek Hill, the New York Jets. While the Jets originally were not offering as much for Hill, with connections to Samuel (via Robert Saleh), the Jets very well could trade the 10th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft along with some later draft capital to get this done. The 49ers would likely get something along the lines of a first, third and future fourth.
This puts the 49ers ahead of the LA Chargers in the draft order and their number one need suddenly becomes an impact receiver. With the Jets, you could talk yourself into the team taking something like a corner and then a tackle. If the 49ers trade Samuel, they will undoubtedly take a receiver with that pick that they acquired.
And with other receiver-hungry teams ahead of the Chargers, that all but ensures that the elite crop of receivers, including Jameson Williams, are off the board before 17. The "elite trio" this year is Williams, Garrett Wilson and Drake London. The chances of any of them lasting 17 picks now seem slim to none.
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But who knows, crazier things have happened in the NFL. Heck, two weeks ago a Deebo Samuel trade seemed extremely far-fetched.