GM Lynch can't imagine 49ers without Samuel
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch says he “can’t ever imagine” trading All-Pro receiver Deebo Samuel and remains confident the two sides can still work out a long-term contract.
Lynch spoke Monday at his mandatory pre-draft news conference where the bulk of the questions he faced were about Samuel’s future. The star receiver told ESPN last week that he has requested a trade from the 49ers but didn’t specify his reasons for wanting out.
Lynch said he didn’t want to get into the “particulars” surrounding Samuel in regards to why the trade request was made or the status of negotiations, citing the “sanctity” of the team.
While Lynch said they will always listen to offers, he was steadfast in his belief that Samuel will be on the Niners in 2022.
“I just can’t ever imagine moving on from him,” Lynch said. “He’s been such a great player for us. He means so much to this franchise. Got nothing but love for the guy.”
Samuel is entering the final year of the rookie deal he signed after being drafted in the second round in 2019 and is looking to take advantage of the exploding market of receiver contracts.
Samuel is set to be paid nearly $4 million this season after being a first-team All-Pro in 2021. Eight receivers have gotten new contracts this offseason worth at least $18 million a year, including Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams after trades from their old teams.
Green Bay got a first and second-round pick from the Raiders for Adams, while Kansas City got a first, a second and three lowerround picks from Miami for Hill.
The Niners don’t have a first-round pick after trading theirs away last season to move up for quarterback Trey Lance, but remain steadfast in not wanting to deal their top playmaker as they did two years ago when they dealt defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to Indianapolis for a firstround pick.
Replacing Samuel could be even more challenging after he emerged as a star in 2021 with the unique ability to thrive as both a running back and a receiver in coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
Samuel finished the season with 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 TDs. Hall of Famer Jerry Rice is the only Niners receiver ever to gain more yards from scrimmage in a season than Samuel did last year.
Virginia’s attorney general has launched an inquiry into the Washington Commanders following allegations of financial improprieties raised by a congressional committee.
Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, disclosed his office’s investigation in a letter to a team lawyer, saying he viewed it as his “responsibility to carefully examine the material facts regarding this matter.”
“To be clear, I have not prejudged the issues raised regarding the Commanders,” he wrote.
The announcement from Miyares comes about two weeks after the House Committee on Oversight and Reform wrote to the Federal Trade Commission saying it found evidence of deceptive business practices over the span of more than a decade, including withholding ticket revenue from visiting teams and refundable deposits from fans.
The Commanders denied the allegations in a letter to the FTC.
The Patriots now have a pick in every round of the upcoming draft following a trade with the Texans.
New England dealt a fifth-round pick (170th overall) to Houston on Monday for a sixth-round pick (183rd overall) and seventh-round pick (245th overall).
The Pittsburgh Steelers are bringing back safety Terrell Edmunds on a oneyear deal.
The deal, announced on Monday, will pay Edmunds $2.5 million.
A judge postponed a hearing Monday in a felony assault case involving two NFL players and two other men accused of severely beating a man at a Las Vegas nightclub the weekend of the Pro Bowl.
Attorneys for New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Chris Lammons and two other defendants, Darrin Young and Percy Harris, asked for more time to review evidence recently turned over by prosecutors.
The four men did not have to appear in court in person while Justice of the Peace Harmony Letizia set a new date Aug. 1. Each man remains free on bond.
Police have said video evidence shows Kamara put his hand on the alleged victim’s chest to stop him stepping toward the elevator early Feb. 5 at the rooftop Drai’s nightclub. The man pushed Kamara’s hand away and Lammons punched the man.
The man fell unconscious on the floor and the defendants allegedly stomped on his face, chest and legs, leaving him with facial fractures and injuries to his head, knees and arms.
committee.