For the second season in a row, the Raiders will open the year with speculation bubbling beneath the surface concerning one of the best players on the roster—wide receiver Davante Adams, who has consistently shut down reports of trade rumors, but whose name is continually linked to such chatter nonetheless.
There’s no doubt teams are asking the Raiders for an Adams trade. If the Raiders did pull the trigger on such a deal, they’d still want to find a way to get back a top-shelf pass-catcher to replace him. That’s where some speculation about the future of the NFL wide-receiver market gets even more interesting: Why not sell high on a star like Adams and attempt to buy low on a successor?
In the eyes of the analysis site NFL Draft Network, that successor could be Deebo Samuel, a unique star who might find himself on the market at a value price because his team, the 49ers, are in a financial pinch. In an article this week titled, “3 Teams That Should Trade for Deebo Samuel,” the Raiders were, of course, named as one of the potential suitors.
As the site noted: “If Las Vegas struggles throughout 2024 and Adams’ rumored departure becomes reality, general manager Tom Telesco could quickly replace him with another trusted veteran in preparation for the arrival of a young quarterback.”
And Samuel would be that trusted veteran.
Deebo Samuel Was an All-Pro in 2021
Samuel is 28 (three years younger than the Raiders’ Adams) and while in some ways he has seen his effectiveness diminished, in other ways he is just a unique player who needs to be handled a certain way by team offenses. No coach has seemed to understand that more than Kyle Shanahan of the 49ers, who takes advantage of Samuel’s tackle-breaking ability by using him in the run game.
Samuel had a breakout year when he was an All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 2021, catching 77 passes for 1,405 yards, while rushing for 365 yards and eight touchdowns. Since then, the 49ers have acquired running back Christian McCaffrey and saw Brandon Aiyuk develop into stardom, making the reliance on Samuel much less necessary for Shanahan.
In 2022, after a bitter contract dispute, Samuel agreed to a three-year, $72 million contract with the 49ers that has an out for the team after this season. The presumption has been that, with Aiyuk signing a new contract, McCaffrey having his deal reworked and with quarterback Brock Purdy in need of a new deal, the 49ers simply won’t be able to afford Samuel.
That’s where the potential to acquire him in a trade comes in. If the 49ers—last year’s NFC rep in the Super Bowl—disappoint, Samuel could be on the market.
After Aiyuk’s deal was finished longtime NFL insider Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote on Twitter/X: “The 49ers will get overtures regarding Deebo Samuel between now and the trade deadline. Right now–highly unlikely they’d trade him. Early November? Depends on a lot of things.”
Raiders Expected to Add Young QB in 2025
Such a deal would, then, require a lot of moving parts to fit just right. The Raiders would need to be disappointing enough to open 2024 to decide that trading Adams—for a first-round pick and another asset—makes sense. The 49ers would need to disappoint, too, and decide that trading Samuel makes sense.
The Raiders would then have to decide that, rather than playing out the year and waiting to land a top receiver in free agency, they’d be better off adding Samuel now and keeping him on his current contract. There’s some logic to that, because the Raiders could very well use their top pick on a quarterback in 2025 and would want a quality safety blanket receiver like Samuel on hand.
It’s a longshot. But the notion of bringing Samuel in and shipping Adams out could be a sensible long-term play for the Raiders.
