Detroit Lions have discussed a move for 49ers WR Deebo Samuel, like they do every available player

ALLEN PARK — Deebo Samuel has requested a trade out of San Francisco. Yes, he’s a fit for the Detroit Lions, because he’s a fit for every team in the National Football League.

And yes, the Detroit Lions have discussed Samuel internally, because they discuss everyone.

“We discuss every player that could become available,” general manager Brad Holmes said during a pre-draft press conference on Thursday at team headquarters. “Anytime a player becomes available, anytime a player is being discussed on the trade market, we do have discussions. We leave them in-house.”

And that’s exactly where Holmes left that discussion — in-house.

But it’s obvious what Samuel could provide a team like Detroit. He’s not only one of the best receivers with the ball in his hands, but most unique too. He averaged a league-high 18.2 yards per catch last season, but also 6.2 yards per carry. He accounted for 1,770 yards overall, scored 14 touchdowns — eight of which came on the ground, an NFL record for a receiver — and he became the first wideout since the merger to lead his team in rushing touchdowns.

Samuel got his All-Pro season rolling with a nine-catch, 189-yard effort on opening day in Detroit, and scored what proved to be the decisive touchdown in a 41-33 win at Ford Field.

“I remember when he was coming out, I loved the player,” head coach Dan Campbell said before that game. “But I think what makes him unique is his ability to carry the football. Not just run after catch, but his ability to turbo, these fly sweeps, he can do some things out of the backfield as a runner and a route runner, and I just think there’s a ton of versatility with him. When you can use a guy like that as a — shoot man, he’s like a punt returner, but on your offense. You can get him in space, you can throw him bubbles, you can give him the fly sweeps, you can put him in the backfield, you can hand him the ball a little bit if you want to, but you can also let him run the routes.

“I think that it brings another dimension to your offense, and I know for me, that’s what makes it hard from a defensive perspective watching him, is there are so many different things you can do to him. And when he gets on the perimeter, and he’s into it and he’s got his speed built up, he’s dangerous.”

There’s no doubt Samuel, still just 26, would help make the Lions a better team, because he would make any team better. But he’ll come with the price tag to reflect it, too. It would almost certainly require at least the 32nd overall pick, probably a sweetener too, plus a new contract that is expected to average at least $25 million annually.

The Lions might be reticent to pay that kind of cash heading into the second year of a rebuild. They also already have a Deebo-like player in Amon-Ra St. Brown, who just racked up 90 catches for 912 yards and five touchdowns during a standout rookie season, plus ran for another score. St. Brown isn’t as explosive as Samuel, but fills a similar role in the offense as a slot receiver who can make plays all over the field, including as a running back and even punt returner.

Best yet: St. Brown’s cap hit is just $1 million this season, $1.1 million next season and $1.3 million in 2024 — a fraction of whatever Samuel will make in his next deal.

Of course, you can never have too many receivers in today’s NFL, and adding one of the league’s best pass-catchers to a mix that returns one of the brightest young receivers in the league (St. Brown), plus just signed DJ Chark and re-signed Josh Reynolds to work the deep field, and things would look dramatically different for Jared Goff next season.

“Yeah, of course (I think about playing with Samuel),” Goff said. “He’s a great player, and one of the best in the league. Again, not up to me.”

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