San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. did not have a great campaign during the 2024 NFL season. The 49ers finished with a 6-11 record, while Samuel put up his least productive season since 2020.
After the disappointing campaign, Samuel requested to be traded, which the 49ers have seemingly agreed to. Meanwhile, one analyst still has some concerns about his effectiveness.
NFL Analyst Makes Concerning Statement About Deebo Samuel Sr.
Recently, The San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami raised concerns about Samuel’s health. According to him, the wide receiver has gained 20 pounds and is not in the greatest shape of his career.
Uh Oh: #49ers WR Deebo Samuel is 20 pounds overweight and not in football shape, per @timkawakami
“He is not in shape. I keep hearing it, 20 pounds overweight. And that led to a lot of his lack of explosion, in their belief, his lack of ability to get through tackles, [which… pic.twitter.com/TJs2WrFGOw
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 14, 2025
Kawakami further stated this is one of the reasons behind the WR’s declining explosiveness. It also hampered his ability to get through tackles on the field with his runs.
“He had a bad year. He is not in shape,” Kawakami said. “I said it on last week’s podcast, 20 pounds. I keep hearing it over, 20 pounds overweight. That led to a lot of his lack of explosion in their belief, his lack of ability to get through tackles. That’s kind of been who he is. That’s why he’s so valuable.”
Samuel only managed to record 670 receiving yards and three touchdowns during the 2024 season, adding 136 yards rushing with another score. He now enters the final year of the three-year extension that he had signed before the 2022 season.
Following Samuel’s trade request, teams like the Steelers were immediately considered potential landing spots.
Former Eagles Star Cautions 49ers About Trading Samuel
Former Eagles star LeSean McCoy has warned the 49ers about potentially parting ways with Samuel. He called the WR a championship talent and stated that head coach Kyle Shanahan should put in some thought before getting rid of one of their star players.
“It’s not a good thing that Deebo’s leaving the 49ers…They win when he’s playing,” McCoy said. “But when you go to the game and Deebo is balling, he changes the whole atmosphere, the whole team, the whole game, the whole stadium.
“…I think sometimes you get too comfortable when you have so much success, like the Niners are used to winning, right?…They make him a somehow, a star. And you think you with with everybody. Defense is really, really good until it’s not, right, and when Deebo’s not there, they’re gonna see the difference.”
.@CutonDime25 reacts to the 49ers granting Deebo Sanders to seek trade:
“It’s not a good thing Deebo is leaving. He’s pound-for-pound one of the best football players in the league.” pic.twitter.com/QYeeovgBut
— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) February 12, 2025
There is still uncertainty surrounding Samuel’s career in San Francisco. It will be interesting to see if the 49ers decide to let him walk away or put in the work to retain one of their important offensive players over the years.