Falcons Could Be Trade Destination For 49ers’ Deebo Samuel

Could the Atlanta Falcons make a push for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel?

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated pitches the idea.

In a recent mailbag, a fan asked whether the 49ers will trade Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk, and Breer said that Samuel actually seems more likely to get dealt.

He said that while San Francisco certainly won’t trade Samuel to the NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams and probably wouldn’t send him to the Green Bay Packers either, the Falcons could make sense as a destination.

Atlanta signed Kirk Cousins in free agency, but outside of Drake London, it doesn’t have a whole lot of talent in its receiving corps.

Samuel could serve as the Falcons’ No. 2 receiver and would also represent a versatile offensive weapon in general for offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.

The 28-year-old is under contract through 2025, so Atlanta would not have to worry about Samuel walking after just one season.

Yes, the Falcons have tight end Kyle Pitts and impressive young running back Bijan Robinson in addition to London, but there is no question that the team could use some more pieces, especially at receiver.

Of course, this is all just conjecture on Breer’s part. We really don’t know if San Francisco would feel comfortable dealing Samuel to Atlanta, and for all we know, the Niners may simply end up holding on to both Samuel and Aiyuk heading into 2024 (which is actually probably the most likely scenario).

A report surfaced prior to the NFL Draft that teams had been calling the Niners to inquire about Samuel’s availability, although no progress seemed to have been made.

Deebo Samuel is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he caught 60 passes for 892 yards and seven touchdowns. He also rushed for 225 yards and five scores.