49ers Trade Rumors: Are Jimmy Garoppolo, Deebo Samuel Still On The Move?

Jimmy Garoppolo and Deebo Samuel are still on the San Francisco 49ers roster at the start of mandatory minicamp. It didn’t appear that would be the case earlier in the offseason when both players were featured prominently in trade rumors.

Samuel requested a trade from the 49ers in April, about one month after the start of free agency. It's been no secret that San Francisco has intended to trade Garoppolo, clearing the way for Trey Lance to become the starting quarterback.

Will either player be traded before the start of the 2022 NFL season?

Garoppolo is more likely than Samuel to be elsewhere in Week 1. The quarterback underwent shoulder surgery in early March, derailing trade talks with potential suitors. Garoppolo was given an excused absence from minicamp because of his rehab.

Trade talks involving Garoppolo could increase at the end of the month when the quarterback starts throwing the football again, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. The Carolina Panthers have been linked to both Garoppolo and Baker Mayfield as they look to upgrade at quarterback.

This late in the offseason, the list of potential landing spots for Garoppolo has shrunk. Possible destinations for Garopoolo, such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts, acquired potential starting quarterbacks shortly after Garoppolo underwent surgery.

Garoppolo completed 68.3% of his passes for 3,810 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in the 2021 season. The 30-year-old played poorly in the postseason with a 72.8 passer rating in three games.

Samuel, on the other hand, won't have a shortage of suitors if the 49ers make him available. The 26-year-old was a 2021 First-Team All-Pro selection.

Samuel showed up to minicamp, potentially indicating that he’s open to playing for the 49ers in 2022. The wide receiver has one year left on his rookie contract.

San Francisco has shown no indications that it wants to trade Samuel, and the 49ers seem willing to make him one of the highest-paid players at his position. Samuel reportedly wants to be used strictly as a receiver. Samuel emerged as one of the NFL’s most dangerous weapons in the 2021 season when he rushed for 365 yards on 59 carries in addition to his 77 receptions for 1,405 yards.

Garoppolo, Samuel and the 49ers came up just short in the 2022 NFC Championship Game against the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. San Francisco was defeated by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2020 Super Bowl.

Despite the potential roster changes, only a handful of teams have better 2023 Super Bowl odds than the 49ers.