So here are the 49ers' options. They can trade Samuel before March 22 for a late draft pick and lose more than $15 million in cap space. Or, they can cut Samuel before March 22 while designating the transaction a post-June-1 release and create more than $5 million in cap space.

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ESPN’s Dan Graziano presented in a column the question of what happens if the 49ers can’t trade Samuel. He detailed the timeline and why the best course of action may be a release of the 2019 second-round pick.