The situation between Deebo Samuel and the 49ers doesn’t appear any clearer this week than last week, but one thing’s for certain: A lot of NFL teams would love to have him if the 49ers decide to trade him, especially with the NFL Draft beginning Thursday.
One of the teams reportedly in on the star wide receiver is the New York Jets. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Wednesday that the Jets are the “front-runners” for Samuel, though it remains unclear if the 49ers will part with him in the near future.
Jets quarterback Zach Wilson, however, is all in on Deebo.
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“Obviously Deebo’s a great player,” Wilson said when asked by reporters Wednesday about the rumors. “There's definitely no hesitation there.”
Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft, led the Jets to a 4-13 record in his rookie season and it certainly sounded like he would welcome Samuel to help him rebuild the struggling franchise.
“Of course, anyone I think those guys are going to bring in the free agency market would obviously be a benefit for us,” Wilson said. “Depending on what we have to give up or whatever, that’s not up to me. All I can say is I trust what [Jets general manager Joe Douglas] and those guys are thinking about. Whatever decision they happen to make there, I'm going to be happy with it.”
Wilson also chimed in on the Samuel saga itself. The quarterback said he’d give his input on a potential trade if management asked him. But he also hypothesized that what’s being reported in the media about the rift between Samuel and the 49ers may not necessarily be true.
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“The media always says one story when you know behind the media, there’s always something else,” Wilson said. “You never know what’s going on with trade talks and money and everyone else involved. Really, you see the stuff on social media, but you never really know how true it is until something was to really happen.
“You get to see all of it, not only just Deebo, everybody within the rumor talks. If we pull one out at the end of the day, then I feel like that’s the right decision for us.”
Related: 49ers GM Lynch 'can't ever imagine' wanting to trade away Deebo
Samuel would likely agree with Wilson’s take.
On Thursday, he hinted in a tweet that people talking about the situation “know nothing about” it and “just be saying whatever the next person say.”
Wilson would probably love to be throwing passes to Samuel next season. But it’s all conjecture -- for now, at least.