The San Francisco 49ers and their star receiver, Deebo Samuel, are at an end road.
Samuel doesn’t seem to be happy about the team not offering him a contract extension after his stellar 2021 performance.
However, them not offering a contract extension is likely from a lack of cap space for a better contract.
If that is the case, it’s from Jimmy Garoppolo and his contract worth over $24 million in 2022.
With a likely trade on the horizon with Samuel, he still holds the power.
Samuel Can Use His Talent To Get A Better Contract
One thing is clear, Samuel is the best receiver on the 49ers roster.
While George Kittle is a great tight end, Samuel is the workhorse at receiver.
He knows the team needs him if they want to make the playoffs for 2022.
However, his talent could land him with another team that could pay him more than San Francisco.
Whether that comes from a trade or free agency is yet to be seen.
But things could get ugly if San Francisco wants to play hardball with Samuel during the contract or trade process.
San Francisco Could Fight Samuel In A Holdout
The 49ers don’t seem interested in trading Samuel to another team.
Looks like the 49ers and Lynch are not interested in trading Deebo Samuel. Fantasy owners and fans should now be worried that he will not be playing this season. Has to be more to the story than just money and not wanting to be a running back. #NFLDraft2022 #NFLTwitter #Deebo
— The Football Monsters (@TheMonstersFB) April 26, 2022
If Samuel holds out and doesn’t play in 2022, the 49ers can start applying pressure to Samuel.
However, that would backfire on the team, as it would further anger him in contract talks.
This makes the situation very delicate for the 49ers.
While they hold some power with his contract, they hold no power if he sticks to his guns.
Forcing him to stay in San Francisco won’t help the team if he’s not willing to play.
Him holding out might hurt him with his current contract, but it could net him a better contract.
It would also show that he’s sticking to his guns with what he feels he’s worth.
A Trade Could Be The 49ers’ Best Option
If the team keeps Samuel, he holds the power.
However, he holds no power with the 49ers in any trade talks.
That is because he doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract.
This leaves Samuel at the mercy of San Francisco and whatever team that trades for him.
But the 49ers would need a tremendous offer to entertain a trade deal with Samuel.
Again they still have the 4th and 38th pick. If Jets can’t do it then they don’t want Samuel enough. 49ers need to have an offer blow them away to even consider trading Deebo. Also they’ll pay Deebo less than what Adams and what Hill’s annual salary is.
— BMAC (@bryan1012000) April 23, 2022
Without an offer big enough from other teams, the 49ers might keep Samuel.
In doing that, he keeps the power in contract talks.
But a trade gets San Francisco something in return for their all-in-one package with Samuel.
It would also give the 49ers players that would be happy with the team, unlike the situation they have now with their star receiver.
It gives them something to build around Trey Lance, if the team makes him a starting quarterback.
However, Samuel has power if he is traded to another team, as he can get a deal he wants with a new team.
With the 2022 NFL Draft almost here, a deal for Samuel only has days to happen before the draft starts.
NEXT: Can 49ers Fans Trust John Lynch On Latest Deebo Samuel Comments?