The San Francisco 49ers face several key decisions this offseason, starting with quarterback Brock Purdy's value. Purdy is eligible for his first contract extension after playing three seasons on his rookie deal, making him one of the NFL's biggest recent bargains as the last overall pick in the 2022 draft.
Once that situation is settled, the team must address the future of wide receiver Deebo Samuel. He requested a trade in January, and the 49ers permitted him to seek one. After all, the player's production has declined in recent years.
However, moving Samuel isn't straightforward due to salary cap implications. Trading him before June 1 would result in a dead cap hit nearly double his current cap number, making a release with a post-June 1 designation a real possibility.
NFL Media's Matt Okada recently listed Samuel among the NFC's 21 notable cut candidates. The once-dynamic offensive weapon had his least productive season outside of an injury-plagued 2020 campaign. Samuel totaled just 806 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns, failing to surpass 900 receiving yards for the fifth time in his six NFL seasons.
His rushing efficiency also plummeted, averaging a career-low 3.2 yards per carry—down from 6.1 in 2023.
"The Niners committed to Brandon Aiyuk as their WR1 last offseason while entertaining trade discussions for Samuel and eventually restructuring his contract," Okada wrote in the feature for NFL.com. "If another offensive mind has interest in Samuel's unique skill set, perhaps general manager John Lynch can net a mid-round pick for the former star. But if the market doesn't look promising, he might simply be released for the $5.1 million in cap savings that the post-June-1 designation would create."
Samuel isn't the only 49ers player Okada lists as a potential cut. He also names defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, who spent just one season in Santa Clara after signing as a free agent last year.
"Yetur Gross-Matos might be worth cutting just from a value perspective after he played 54 percent of the team's defensive snaps in 2024 and logged just four sacks, 19 tackles and 10 QB pressures," Okada explained. "With a $9.5 million cap hit in 2025, that kind of production is simply not good enough."
A post-June 1 designation would free up $7.82 million in salary cap space, making it the more appealing option. However, the 49ers' two post-June 1 slots could already be earmarked for Samuel and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave.
"The Niners could just call it a day and move on from Gross-Matos for $2.9 million in savings right away," Okada concluded.