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Deebo Samuel could be on the market, and the Bills might be wise to make a call
A report surfaced Thursday evening that veteran wide receiver Deebo Samuel could be available via trade. After dual trades landed the Bills out of the first round of the draft, perhaps that availability is something they're looking into.
The Buffalo Bills were in a mood to surprise Thursday during the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. Their biggest need, as generally accepted by the masses, was the wide receiver position. The Bills were so inclined to follow that direction, they traded not once, but twice, landing outside of round 1, and now own the 33rd overall pick -- the start of the second round -- Friday.
To add even more grind to the teeth-gnashing from Bills fans, both trades -- once to Kansas City, who selected Xavier Worthy, and once with Carolina, who selected Xavier Legette -- resulted in wide receivers going to the other team.
But those aren't the wide receivers you're looking for, apparently.
Instead, pay attention to San Francisco, who selected Florida slot receiver Ricky Pearsall at 31 overall. Then read into speculation that surrounded the defending NFC champions all off-season -- they're looking to move veteran outside receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who's in-line for a contract extension. Instead, veteran NFL reporter Mike Silver suggests something else might be amiss.
Perhaps the Bills have a sense of what they're doing afterall.
Samuel, with two years of his contract (running through 2025), has seen his utilization in San Francisco drop since earning First Team All-Pro in 2021. He had 60 catches for 892 yards and seven touchdowns last season, playing in 15 games, a per-game drop-off from his 94/632/2 in 2022. It's at-best a leveling off that, when put with a $20.9 million base salary in 2024, would support Silver's report that Samuel might be easier to trade.
The giveaway would be the fact seven receivers were drafted in round 1, and while the Bills started Friday on the clock with WRs Adonai Mitchell and Ladd McConkey staring them in the face, perhaps San Francisco's addition of the versatile inside-route specialist Pearsall suggests Deebo could be had. And a bounce-back year of 100+ targets would be exactly what Buffalo could want, even with a hefty price-tag.
Odds would be better the Bills will stay put, maximizing the additional capital they've received in trading out of the first round, but It would only make sense for them to give John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan a call and see if the once-highly productive and versatile veteran could be had, especially if Samuel might be amenable to a new contract.
