Deebo Samuel is ready for a fresh start and asked the San Francisco 49ers for a trade. The Houston Texans were named a team to watch thanks to their ties to the 49ers organization.
Trading for Samuel would be costly for the Texans who would need to give up significant draft stock while taking on a contract with a cap hit of $15.8 million in 2025 and $33.1 million in 2026. The good news is they might be able to avoid all of that and still have a shot at landing the versatile playmaker.
49ers beat writer Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard and Matt Barrows of The Athletic host the 49ers +/- podcast where they recently discussed Samuel. They said the team would have to consider releasing him if they can't facilitate a trade.
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Letting him go as a post-June 1 cut would be the most affordable for San Fransisco and it would allow Samuel to decide on his future. That could include him joining Houston where he will be familiar with head coach DeMeco Ryans.
If he is indeed released, the Texans would be wise to roll out the red carpet for Samuel.
The South Carolina product might not be a prototypical No. 1 wide receiver but he would be a perfect fit alongside Nico Collins. The current WR1 in Houston is coming off his second consecutive 1,000-yard campaign and is known for his ability to stretch the field.
Samuel would be able to work the short and intermediate routes, which would take a lot of attention away from Collins. He's also a weapon out of the backfield, which would give opposing defenses one more thing to be concerned with.
Houston's offense wants to take the next step, and that would happen with this move.