San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel had no words for the team releasing defensive end and captain Arik Armstead.
Samuel made an Instagram story with six facepalm emojis above a breaking news graphic about Armstead’s release on Wednesday. Armstead declined to take a pay cut from his five-year, $85 million deal that he had with the team.
The 49ers needed his pay cut amid a difficult salary cap situation with $10.84 million over the cap. Niners fullback Kyle Juszczyk gave the team some reprieve when he agreed to restructure his five-year, $27 million deal to save cap space.
For Samuel, he and Armstead go back to 2019 when the Niners drafted Samuel with a second-round NFL Draft pick out of South Carolina. Armstead has only played for the 49ers since the team drafted the Sacramento native out of Oregon in 2015 with the No. 17 pick.
Both helped the 49ers reach the Super Bowl in 2019 before the team fell to the Kansas City Chiefs. Since that year, they’ve helped the Niners reach three more NFC Championship Games in four years and another Super Bowl this past season.
Armstead played nine seasons for the 49ers and tallied 302 tackles, 33.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and six pass deflections along the way. He missed five games in 2023 and posted 27 tackles and five sacks.
His respect went beyond the locker room as the team nominated him for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year last season. Armstead works for social justice and education equity off the field.
Deebo Samuel Could be Next
Samuel could be next to go amid trade rumors, which includes a recent one involving the Baltimore Ravens. That team’s general manager, Eric DeCosta, shot that one down during Thursday’s press conference.
“That specific report — I read ‘The Lorax’ last week at a local elementary school. I would probably put that report similar to that,” DeCosta humorously said.
Samuel has two seasons left on his three-year, $71.5 million deal with the 49ers. San Francisco will take a cap hit of $28.63 million this year from Samuel amid his $19.47 million in earnings for the season.
One of the team’s most dynamic playmakers, Samuel amassed 60 catches for 892 yards and seven touchdowns plus 37 carries for 225 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. His missing multiple games due to injury for a second straight year raises questions on the cost-benefit of keeping a high-priced star such as Samuel on the roster.
49ers Are Receiving Calls About Deebo Samuel
Despite DeCosta’s joke, teams are calling about Samuel’s availability according to The Mercury News’ Dieter Kurtenbach. Jason LaCanfora notably reported Baltimore specifically called San Francisco regarding a trade.
“The Niners can move on from Samuel, give [Brandon] Aiyuk that big contract and No. 1 status, and roll with North Carolina product Devontez Walker, or Florida State’s Keon Coleman, or, in a strange bit of irony, South Carolina’s Xavier Legette at No. 2 this upcoming season,” Kurtenbach wrote.
“These kids are awesome. A decade ago, they’d be top-15 picks,” Kurtenbach continued. “These days, there are so many outstanding college receivers, that all three of them might fall into the second round. At least one is going to be there for the Niners at No. 31.”
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