The Pittsburgh Steelers will be searching far and wide to find at least one reliable starting-caliber wide receiver in the 2025 offseason. They should have plenty of options, as the free agent class is very top-heavy at that position. Pittsburgh can also explore the trade market to get a few other big names to boost their offense, as it has already been confirmed that a handful of wideouts will be on the move in that regard. There are plenty of options out there for the Steelers; they just have to choose wisely.
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Steelers General Manager Omar Khan picks up the phone in the team's war room during the 2023 NFL Draft weekend.
One of those options is Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers. He recently requested a trade, and the team granted him permission to seek out a potential partner to make a deal with. ESPN revealed exactly what it would take for a team like the Steelers to trade for him, as well as some other factors that may go into it.
"Finding a comp for Samuel is difficult in large part because Samuel isn't a traditional receiver," explained Nick Wagoner of ESPN. "When the Buffalo Bills traded Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans last April, the Bills received a 2025 second-round pick, but attached a 2024 sixth-round selection and a 2025 fifth-round choice to Diggs to make it happen. At the time, Diggs was coming off a 107-catch, 1,183-yard, eight touchdown season."
Nick Wagoner continued on and explained the draft compensation that would likely come from a potential deal.
"Because Samuel is coming off a down year and is entering the final year of his contract with other top receivers set to be available in free agency or trade, a Day 3 draft pick and perhaps another late-round pick would probably satisfy the 49ers," said Wagoner. "If there isn't much of a trade market, the Niners might have to settle for less unless they package picks with Samuel."
In Business 101, there is a very well-known saying: "Buy low, sell high." Sports is still a business, and the 49ers missed their chance to sell high on Samuel in the 2024 offseason. After a rough season for him and the team as a whole, lots of leverage was lost in a potential deal. Other teams can now take the chance to buy low on a quality wideout with lots of versatility.
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49ers wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk celebrate a score.
Samuel finished the 2024 season with 670 receiving yards and 136 rushing yards, which are both some of the lowest totals of his career. He was able to tack on 533 kickoff return yards, so he has some value on special teams as well, which the Steelers tend to look for in any potential player they bring in via the draft or free agency.
If General Manager Omar Khan was willing to trade for Samuel's teammate and position-mate for a second and a third-round pick, it would not be shocking to see him trade for the speedy receiver. He will likely try and hold out to see how far the price drops for him, but he has plenty of Day 3 picks to work with in the upcoming draft.
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Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after a touchdown during the third quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 3, 2023, in Philadelphia.
Potential Steelers/49ers Trade Can Be Very Cap Friendly For Pittsburgh
With all the guarantees and void years in Samuel's contract, the 49ers will have to eat a lot of dead cap to move on from him. Meanwhile, he has a base salary of $1.17 million, along with a workout bonus of $200,000 and a roster bonus of $750,000. The void years and signing bonus proration would not transfer over to the Steelers, which means they would only have to pay roughly $2.1 million for one year, then they can decide if they want to extend him or not.
What do you think about what it would cost for the Steelers to trade for Samuel? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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