Being an elite at your position doesn’t necessarily mean that a player will find a place in the squad. If anyone in the league knows about that, it’s Brandon Aiyuk, who is not budging from his stance to be one of the highest-paid receivers in the league. His rookie contract recently got over and now, he’s more like a gun for hire, willing to match his caliber with their money.

But Deebo Samuel was in the same situation as Aiyuk when his rookie contract ended. The Niners did decide to give him a 3-year, $71.5 million extension that runs through the 2025 season. But things are still shaky between Samuel and the San Francisco 49ers because there were recent rumors about him being potentially traded. Amidst this, will Aiyuk reach the same place and situation that Samuel currently holds?

Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel are sailing in the same boat!

The hosts of NFL Live had a debate about Brandon Aiyuk’s fate with the 49ers. On paper, Brandon Aiyuk had fewer receptions (75) than other prolific receivers like CeeDee Lamb (135), Tyreek Hill (119), or even Amon-Ra St. Brown (119). However, he’s ranked no. 1 in first-down receptions (60%) out of every QB-receiver duo in the league.

He literally seems to be pushing the Niners down the enemy yards, despite what his reception stats say. The same can be said about his 13.3 yards per attempt working with Purdy as his QB. While his numbers are promising, Aiyuk’s statement about “They don’t want me back,” saw some explanation on the Pivot Podcast with Ryan Clark.

The WR is asking for the $30 million a year treatment and felt hurt when his team undermined him. Ryan Clark reiterated Aiyuk’s words on his podcast, “Look where I line up and look who’s guarding me,” and later added the WR saying, “I beat one-on-one coverage and I beat the best man on the other side of the field.”

Despite Aiyuk being targeted less, he came out with a 1,342-yard season with 7 touchdowns due to his high YPA. The WR told Ryan Clark that, “If I’m not in San Francisco, I’m comfortable being somewhere else.” This reminded Jeff Darlington of the show of similarities in Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk’s tenure with the Niners. Not to mention how quintessential Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk were to their team, leading them to a Super Bowl.

“This feels like a carbon copy of what we went through with Deebo Samuels not very long ago,” said Darlington on NFL Live. “He [Deebo Samuel] told me that I want to be traded and there was no qualms about it. It felt very personal to him, he did not feel like he was getting along very well with the front office or Kyle Shanahan. They eventually did figure it out.”

The incident that Jeff Darlington spoke about occurred around April 2022, which was the end of Samuel’s rookie contract. But things changed and the 49ers gave in.

Will the “carbon copy” situation have a happy ending?

Two years ago, Deebo Samuel felt uncomfortable with the 49ers and told Darlington that he was seeking a trade. The receiver remained cryptic about his reasons, but the desire to leave the 49ers was strong. The 2021 season leading to this incident was the best one of his career where he had 1,405 yards while adding 6 touchdowns to the 49ers’ offense.

However, after Samuel expressed his disappointment, the San Francisco team decided to give him a 3-year $71.5 million extension for the 2022-2025 season. This year, Deebo Samuel is making a base salary of $20.9 million along with a signing bonus of $4.8 million and $661k as a roster bonus. This base salary number goes down to $16.6 million, but the signing bonus amount stays the same.

But here’s the catch-22 about Deebo Samuel’s contract: Though it runs through the 2025 season, the 49ers can still trade him after the upcoming season, again leading him to an uncertain future. The receiver later confirmed that the rumors were true but he’s focused on playing football and letting his agent handle the talks.

“Yeah, I heard [the trade rumors],” Samuel said. “Had a conversation with my agent about it. They was going back and forth with whoever it was. It was a thing at first, but we done moved past it. So we here, and we here to get better.”

This sounds more like a ruse. They give him a contract that allows the team to trade him and not fulfill their end of the bargain. What if the same thing happens to Brandon Aiyuk, who might have the option of a franchise tag available to him soon?