The San Francisco 49ers have been one of the biggest disappointments of the 2024 season.
Coming off a Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs last year, the 49ers doubled-down by keeping their talented roster together, extending WR Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey, while finding ways to keep LT Trent Williams and jack-of-all-trades Deebo Samuel.
But injuries have plagued the 49ers all season and they never found a groove. They have already been eliminated from the playoffs with two games left to go in the regular season.
This offseason will be a massive one for John Lynch and the San Francisco 49ers brass. Many believe it‘s a no brainer to give QB Brock Purdy a massive contract extension that is competitive with salaries for the NFL’s top quarterbacks, but there is a camp that still doubts Purdy as the franchise guy.
It would be stunning if the 49ers didn’t extend Purdy, but when they do, they are going to be forced to make other decisions on the roster to free up cap space.
Deebo Samuel could be one of the cap casualties, even though his contract situation is complicated.
Samuel’s salary cap number for 2025 will be nearly $16 million. If they release him, they’ll take on a dead cap hit of $31.5 million which is far from ideal.
The 49ers also could release him with a post -June-1 designation, but that would just mean they would take an $11 million dead cap hit in 2025 and a $20 million dead cap hit in 2026. Not a great option, but still very probable.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder thinks Samuel’s days with the 49ers are done, and predict they are going to replace him with a WR from the Atlanta Falcons.
Deebo Samuel could be on the chopping block this offseason given his decline in play and the fact that San Francisco would save $5.2 million of cap space by making him a post-June 1 cut or trade, per Over The Cap.
With a potential contract extension for Brock Purdy looming, that could be especially enticing for the organization.
While Moore doesn’t have the same track record as Samuel, he has a similar skill set and could flourish in Shanahan’s system. In addition to contributing as a receiver, the Purdue product was an effective rusher in college. However, he does have a long injury history the club would have to be wary of.
Moore is currently on IR for the Falcons but has thrived when given limited opportunities throughout his career. Before coming to Atlanta over the offseason, Moore had 135 catches for 1,201 yards and three touchdowns. He also showed his versatility — similar to Samuel — with 52 carries for 249 yards and a touchdown.
The Falcons only inked Moore to a one-year deal, so he makes sense as a replacement for Samuel if the 49ers decided to move on from him.