They have an All Pro tight end in George Kittle, an All Pro fullback in Kyle Juszczyk, an All Pro wide receiver in Brandon Aiyuk, a rising No. 2 receiver in Jauan Jennings, an All Pro tight end in Christian McCaffrey, and the Offensive Player of the Year at running back.
Furthermore, Samuel is not improving. He seemed to be deteriorating, in fact. He’s no longer a very dangerous rushing back and isn’t a skilled enough route runner to get past man-to-man coverage. This indicates that he is limited and that in 2024, his compensation will exceed the wage ceiling by more than $28 million for the franchise.
The 49ers would prefer to move Samuel this summer in exchange for an offensive lineman or a draft pick that they could use to acquire one. The Chiefs, who currently stand as the NFL’s gold standard, would act in that manner.
Recall that they chose to allocate significant funds on their offensive line rather than their skill positions, which is why they traded Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins. The Chiefs have won two straight Super Bowls since then. They’ve got the proper concept.
However, Samuel might not be available for trade this offseason for the 49ers. If they do so, they will have dead cap space—cap space that they are unable to use this year—of more than $21 million. In other words, the 49ers would effectively have to pay Samuel $21 million to
play for a different team. Not perfect.
Samuel will cost the 49ers a lot of money this season, one way or another. They can cut their losses now and trade him for a first-round pick, but because to his terrible contract, they won’t have much cap room available.
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