The Houston Texans are closely connected to the San Francisco 49ers. That’s not a shock at all considering they hired DeMeco Ryans as their head coach in 2023 after he spent six seasons as a coach in San Francisco.
That connection was strong on the offensive side as well when Bobby Slowik was the offensive coordinator but even after he was let go, the offensive staff has ties to the Niners.
While new offensive coordinator Nick Caley was never with the 49ers, quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson started his coaching career there in 2017.
That’s why it’s not a shock to see James Palmer identify the Texans as a team to watch in the Deebo Samuel sweepstakes.
Could the Texans go after Deebo Samuel?
A second-round pick out of South Carolina in 2019, Samuel has spent his entire career with the 49ers. In six seasons, he has 5,935 yards from scrimmage with 42 total touchdowns. Samuel isn’t a prototypical No. 1 wide receiver but he’s effective as a route runner and can carry the ball out of the backfield.
His presence on the field causes issues for opposing defenses while opening up the offense for teammates.
Following a frustrating season, he’s been granted permission to seek a trade and the Texans have a need at the position.
While general manager Nick Caserio has been aggressive when it comes to building the roster, this one could be tough to pull off. He likely wouldn’t object to the price tag to land Samuel in a trade but the salary could be a holdup.
Samuel will have a cap hit of $15.8 million in 2025 and more than $33 million in 2026. Houston is near the projected limit already, meaning they would have serious work to do before considering such a move.