The Las Vegas Raiders have plenty of questions to answer this offseason.
While much will be said about the quarterback position, wide receiver is also going to be a major talking point. Since trading Davante Adams to the New York Jets on Oct. 15, the lack of depth at the position for the Raiders has become apparent. The only receiver to clear the 400-yard mark so far this season has been Jakobi Meyers with 458, and Meyers is also the only receiver to score more than one touchdown this year. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers is doing a great job shouldering the load in the passing attack, but the Raiders simply need more weapons.
The Raiders will explore every possible option, and one is potentially emerging from their former Bay Area rival: former All-Pro Deebo Samuel from the San Francisco 49ers.
According to ESPN reporter Dan Graziano, Samuel is a possible cut candidate for the 49ers this offseason due to their salary cap situation and the savings they can acquire from moving on.
“Samuel’s contract structure is interesting,” said Graziano. “He’ll make about $16.6 million next year, but about $15.4 million of that is in the form of an option bonus the team has to decide on before the 10th day of the league year in March. So the 49ers could trade him before that date, leaving his new team responsible for the 2025 cash — but the Niners would carry a dead-money charge of $31.55 million on their 2025 cap.”
With a Samuel trade resulting in much of the financial burden being on the Niners, they will have to look at other options. Fortunately for the Raiders, the possibility of a release is far more likely.
“Releasing Samuel and designating him as a post-June 1 cut would allow them to defray that cost over two years, and if they do decide to move on, that’s the more likely decision,” Graziano noted.
For the Niners, moving on from Samuel makes sense. They have invested heavily at the wide receiver position this year, drafting Ricky Pearsall in the first round of this year’s draft in April and extending both Jauan Jennings in May and Brandon Aiyuk in August. Combine that trio of moves with the projected cap hit of quarterback Brock Purdy’s impending contract extension, and the Niners will be looking to save money anywhere they can.
So why would the Raiders have interest? For starters, if he does become a free agent for next season, Samuel would be below the more buzzworthy options at the position like the Cincinnati Bengals’ Tee Higgins or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Chris Godwin, resulting in less competition and lower salary demands.
More notably, while Samuel is having a down year by his standards (33 receptions, 490 yards, one touchdown), there are indications that he is still a productive receiver. Samuel’s 14.8 yards per reception this season is almost identical to the same stat in 2023, when he posted 60 catches for 892 yards and seven touchdowns. Analytics also support Samuel, as his average depth of target of 7.8 yards would be the second-highest of his career (8.4 in 2021) and quarterbacks have a 100.9 rating when targeting him.
Perhaps the culprit for his down year is the sheer depth of options in San Francisco. Despite Aiyuk being lost for the season due to a torn ACL and MCL, the Niners have leaned on Jennings and tight end George Kittle for the most part this season. As Pearsall and running back Christian McCaffrey have returned to the lineup, Samuel’s opportunities for targets have been reduced significantly. That would not be the case with the Raiders, as the only notable competition would be Bowers, Meyers, and potentially a rookie receiver.
A move to Las Vegas could be the spark Samuel needs to revitalize his career. If the Niners decide to move on, the Raiders will certainly be in the mix.
