The Baltimore Ravens are one of the teams that have been most connected to rumors surrounding a potential trade for San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
That’s not to say that the Ravens have shown interest to this point, that much is unclear. But what is clear is that many believe the Ravens are a great landing spot for the All-Pro wideout.
Peter Panacy of Niner Noise is someone who shares that opinion as he recently listed the Ravens as a team that would “make sense” as a trade partner if the 49ers were open to dealing him.
Of course, the Ravens are no strangers to being linked to standout wide receivers over the years. This year does feel a little different, however.
"“It’s seemingly been a year-over-year effort to provide Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson with additional pass-catching weapons. And while the Ravens are already wondering about what’ll be their own contract extensions with Jackson, the thought of pairing him with one of the NFL’s top up-and-coming receivers in the game makes sense.”"
Deebo Samuel could take the Ravens’ offense to the next level
There’s no doubt that adding Samuel to this Ravens offense would go a long way toward assisting Lamar Jackson and establishing one of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL.
Samuel is coming off a season in which he finished with 77 catches for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns while leading the league with 18.2 yards per reception. He also added 365 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.
It’s fun to imagine what Samuel could do in a Ravens offense that could use another playmaker, but is it a realistic possibility? On the surface, probably not.
For starters, the 49ers don’t seem to be in any hurry to trade Samuel and are reportedly seeking a “king’s ransom” for their young star receiver. It’s hard to imagine the Ravens would be willing to pay that.
From a financial perspective, the Ravens could make it work. While they do have to worry about Lamar Jackson’s eventual extension, there are always ways to create additional cap space which could include restructures for players like Marlon Humphrey, Mark Andrews, Kevin Zeitler, and Ronnie Stanley, among others.
The bigger issue comes with the trade package it would take to acquire him. The Ravens have plenty of needs to address in the 2022 NFL Draft, and moving numerous top picks for Samuel would prevent that from happening.
Positions like edge rusher, cornerback, and both the offensive and defensive lines need to be addressed, among other needs as well. If the Ravens traded away both of their top picks (that might not even be enough) for Samuel, the rest of the roster would suffer.
It’s a fun idea in theory, but trading for Deebo Samuel just likely isn’t in the cards for the Ravens. We can dream, though.