Could the Bears go after Deebo Samuel? |
Here is a crazy idea - what if the Bears went after wide receiver Deebo Samuel from the San Francisco 49ers? Chicago certainly needs another wide receiver to go along with DJ Moore, and the 49ers need to create some space in the salary cap.
Samuel fits the bill of what the Bears need. He is a physical receiver who can be used both in the passing game and in the run, as Samuel has had over 200 rushing yards in each of the last three seasons. Last season, he had five rushing touchdowns. However, the Pro-Bowler has something else to offer Chicago - Super Bowl experience. While this is often underestimated, having Super Bowl experience allows the younger players to learn about what it is like to reach that point, potentially offering further motivation to reach that point. From the 49ers’ perspective, they need to create cap space and Samuel takes up the second-most cap space out of any player on their team, which is quite remarkable given the talent they have. Trading Samuel, while it would not be ideal, would enable them to keep the rest of their elite players. The price tag is one reason why Chicago would not pursue such a deal. His cap hit right now is over $28 million; his base salary is nearly $21 million. If he were to get traded, his salary would not be any less than it currently is. Surely, it would be at least $25 million, although the cap hit could be negotiated. Given Chicago’s cap space is currently a little over $49 million, acquiring Samuel would hinder the Bears from pursuing pretty much any other big-name players during the offseason, as they need room to sign their draft picks. This discussion about price also highlights the biggest reason why this most likely will not happen. There is a huge price for trading for a No. 1 wide receiver. The biggest items Chicago has to trade is the No. 1 overall pick and quarterback Justin Fields. Certainly, the 49ers are not in the quarterback market. With the No. 1 overall pick, the 49ers’ pick is going to be either No. 31 or No. 32, depending on the result of the Super Bowl. Therefore, they do not have a high pick to give Chicago. Also, because they are not in the quarterback market, they would most likely not have interest in the No. 1 pick. Therefore, while both teams would benefit from such a trade, the price is too high for this to realistically happen. However, it should not be a surprise if Samuel gets dealt to another team, hopefully just not a team in the NFC North.
