NFC Notes: Deebo Samuel, Davante Adams, 49ers, Cardinals, Rams

49ers

49ers WR Deebo Samuel made headlines when requesting permission to seek a trade this offseason. Fellow 49ers TE George Kittle said Samuel is unreplaceable and considers him to be one of the best receivers in the league for yards after the catch. 

“You can’t really replace Deebo,” Kittle said, via NFL.com. “I think he’s one of the most unique players in the NFL because of what he can do. Well, one, he’s the greatest, best YAC guy besides myself — I’ll hype myself up, I’m pretty good at that, too. But he’s so good when he gets the ball in his hands. The fact that you can line him up in the slot, out wide, in the backfield and do all the fun stuff with him and he breaks tackles, he runs like a running back and he has the burst, he has the speed, he has the agility to get away from guys too, he’s just such a unique player.”

Kittle said Samuel’s departure would result in San Francisco taking a different approach with their offense.  

“I don’t think you can really replace him. We’re just going to have to build our offense a little bit differently because we don’t have that available to us. But Deebo’s a hell of a football player. I’ve loved being his teammate, I’ve loved sharing the field with him, I’ve loved going to war with him. If that is what happens and he gets traded, I’ll be very sad. But at the same time, I’m always happy for guys to get opportunities and that’s all you can ask for in the NFL.”

Kittle expressed confidence in their other receivers like Jauan Jennings, Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall and Trent Taylor. In the end, Kittle believes Jennings proved he can be a No. 1 option. 

“For the three other guys who are still currently on the roster — whether it’s Jauan (Jennings), Aiyuk, who’s coming back from an ACL, Ricky Pearsall, we have Trent Taylor in the slot, we have Jacob Cowing in the slot, we still have Chris Conley,” Kittle said. “When you remove Deebo from the equation, it’s kinda like who’s gonna step up specifically because Aiyuk’s not gonna … I assume he’s not gonna play Week 1. I don’t really know though. It’d be awesome if he did. You’ve got it, Aiyuk, I believe in you. But Jauan Jennings has proved that he can play as a No. 1 wide receiver. He had a game with three touchdowns, 170 yards. He can go out there and do it. You’ve just got to go game plan for him, give him some opportunities. Ricky Pearsall had a game at the end of the year last year against the Lions where he had 140, 150 yards and a touchdown. We have guys that can produce.”

Cardinals

• ESPN’s Dan Graziano could see the Cardinals pursue a receiver this offseason and possible options include Davante Adams if he’s released from the Jets, Deebo Samuel if he’s traded or cut by the 49ers, or veteran free-agent Keenan Allen. 
• The Cardinals have named former Stony Brook RB coach DJ Gillins as their new Bill Bidwill Fellow, per Darren Urban of the team’s site. 
• Doug Haller of The Athletic points out the Cardinals would save $6.6 million in cap space by moving on from veteran S Jalen Thompson.

Rams

• Regarding Rams WR Cooper Kupp‘s $29.78 million cap figure for 2025, ESPN’s Dan Graziano writes Los Angeles would save $12.52 million by trading him prior to his March 17 roster bonus and incur $17.26 million in dead money.
• Graziano also points out their dead money figure would rise to $24.76 million if Los Angeles takes on his $5 million bonus to help facilitate a trade.