The New England Patriots are on the hunt for a wide receiver, and the San Francisco 49ers could be an intriguing trade partner.
The Patriots had "preliminary trade discussions" with the 49ers regarding wide receiver Deebo Samuel prior to the 2024 NFL Draft, CBS Sports' Josina Anderson reported Friday.
Anderson appeared to suggest that no deal is imminent -- "finding middle ground on compensation can be challenging," she wrote on X -- but New England's interest in Samuel is notable for several reasons.
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UPDATE (1:45 p.m. ET): The Patriots and Buffalo Bills, who currently own the No. 34 and No. 33 overall picks in the second round, respectively, both have interest in Samuel, according to Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal.
As our Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran reported this week, the Patriots are "in the market" for a wide receiver, with Samuel's teammate, Brandon Aiyuk, viewed as a possible trade target. But while the 49ers fielded calls on Aiyuk during Thursday's first round, Samuel is now viewed as the "odd man out" in San Francisco's receiver room after the team drafted Florida wideout Ricky Pearsall at No. 31 overall, per the San Francisco Chronicle's Mike Silver.
The 49ers are "believed to be seeking" second- and third-round picks in return for Samuel, according to Silver, who reports a trade could materialize either before the start of Friday's second round or when a trade partner is on the clock.
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New England has a pair of valuable Day 2 picks -- No. 34 and No. 68 overall -- which perhaps could be part of a potential deal for Samuel. The question is how much the Patriots are willing to give up for the 28-year-old wideout, who is two years older than Aiyuk and carries $28.6 million and $24.2 million cap hits in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
While Samuel could be more costly than Aiyuk -- who has a $14.1 million cap hit in 2024 before hitting free agency in 2025 -- he's also an incredibly dynamic player who racked up 1,117 total yards (892 receiving yards; 225 rushing yards) and 12 total touchdowns in 2023 as a dual-threat receiver/running back for the NFC champion 49ers.
He'd immediately become the Patriots' best offensive player and give rookie quarterback Drake Maye an elite weapon to work with out of the gate.
Day 2 of the NFL Draft begins at 7 p.m. ET, and there could be intrigue right off the bat with New England on the clock with the second pick of the second round.