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The way professional athletes break up with sports franchises in the year 2022 is probably foreign to anyone who remains off the social media grid. Here goes, though: Deebo Samuel may have fueled a major NFL trade rumor with just a few clicks on the Instagram app with his thumb.
The former South Carolina Gamecock may have set off the first flare to mark a potential split between the San Francisco 49ers and their First-Team All-Pro wideout.
Amidst a flurry of WR extensions signed by the likes of Tyreek Hill, DaVante Adams, and Stefon Diggs, Samuel wants to see the money himself.
If the 49ers don't feel he is worth it, though, perhaps another team out there would.
Obviously, we don't see franchises like the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs getting aggressive in the trade market to extend a WR after refusing to do so for their own, of which there was already an established rapport with each's franchise QB.
These 3 NFL teams could be potential Deebo Samuel landing spots
#1 - Atlanta Falcons
Things grew wildly unfortunate for the Atlanta Falcons this offseason upon news breaking that Calvin Ridley was suspended for the 2022 season because he was gambling on games, including those he played in.
In response to losing Ridley for the year via such nefarious means, Matt Ryan was traded by the franchise that drafted him to the Indianapolis Colts, ending a 14-year stint with the Falcons.
Atlanta owns the No. 8 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and should have a franchise QB on their draftboard. Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis, and even Matt Corral (who's played in Mercedez-Benz Stadium before) will be available by the time the Falcons are on the clock, and finding Matty Ice's heir apparent could be a priority.
If Marcus Mariota is the guy under center moving forward, though, and Atlanta has the utmost faith in him turning fortunes around, then they should aim to find him a new WR1 ASAP.
Deebo Samuel is a swing-for-the-fences kind of move, but this fanbase is down bad after the past month of transactions and could use such a pick-me-up.
#2 - Indianapolis Colts
Since we're on the topic of Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons, the team he was traded to, the Indianapolis Colts, also fits the bill as a potential Deebo Samuel landing spot.
The Colts have a dynamic pass-catcher in their WR room already worthy of top billing, and luckily, he won't be due for a monster contract extension quite yet. That'd be Michael Pittman Jr., who ranked No. 18 in the league in hauls last season.
Pittman is still on a rookie-scale deal and won't be a contractual concern for another season. With a new QB, who is 36 and aiming to win his first ring on a franchise that has proven capable of doing so, rolling the dice on Deebo Samuel is the kind of gamble (no pun intended) the Colts should make on Ryan.
#3 - New Orleans Saints
There are a few personnel-related issues that need to be sorted ahead of the 2022 NFL season. Chief among them is what the franchise is going to do with their No. 16 and 19 draft picks.
A potential franchise QB will most certainly be on the board at those points in the draft, but NOLA could roll into the upcoming campaign with Winston after he went 5-2 as a starter in 2021. Andy Dalton was also signed, and newly converted TE Taysom Hill is theoretically always an option under center.
It sounds like building around Winston will be the option after inking him to a deal worth $21 million in guaranteed money. So, what better way to build around him than by getting him a true WR1?
It sounds like the Saints are interested in doing so, given their registered interest in Houston Texans WR Brandin Cooks:
Deebo Samuel is a step up in weight class from Cooks and would give the Saints offense a second game-breaking, highlight reel option next to Alvin Kamara.
