2 reasons Deebo Samuel will join the Ravens and 2 reasons he won’t

Why Deebo won’t join the Ravens, Reason No. 2: The team won’t give up the trade capital

Everything comes at a price. For Deebo Samuel, that price will likely include a huge draft pick haul, one the Ravens aren’t willing to part with.

We recently proposed three hypothetical trade packages for Samuel, and two of those include giving up a first-round pick along with a handful of late-rounders.

The Ravens hold their draft capital near and dear to their heart, and giving a chunk of that up for an up-and-coming wide receiver doesn’t seem like a move Eric DeCosta would make.

To make it clear, this is more about the draft picks than it is about the money. Despite their meager cap space, Baltimore can make the financial room for Samuel, who would likely command a contract similar to that of Tyreek Hill or Davante Adams.

Hill and Adams have first-year cap hits of just $6.4 million and $8.1 million, respectively. That figure is easily absorbed in the Ravens’ 2022 cap as the team can restructure player contracts (Marlon Humphrey, Mark Andrews, etc.) to create the necessary space short-term and spread out the money long-term, according to Over the Cap.

But giving up a first-rounder and other picks? In 2022, Baltimore is primed to have one of their best draft classes in recent history with nine picks in the first four rounds. For a team so concerned about investing in the future, Baltimore may not want to cave into the 49ers’ demands and pay a “king’s ransom” for Samuel.