Wide receiver Deebo Samuel will go. All. The. Way. Across the country.
A few weeks after his team granted Samuel permission to seek a trade, the 49ers agreed to terms to trade their former first-team All-Pro wideout to the Commanders according to several reports on Saturday. Washington will send San Francisco the Saints’ fifth-round pick: No. 148 overall.
In completing the trade, the 49ers free up some cap space after signing receivers Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk to extensions last year. San Francisco also gets some extra space to work with as negotiations loom for an extension for quarterback Brock Purdy.
Washington brings in another pass-catching weapon for quarterback Jayden Daniels before he enters his second year. Samuel will start alongside Commanders star Terry McLaurin in the Kliff Kingsbury-designed offense.
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Since the trade took place after the end of the NFL season, it won’t become official until the start of the new league year on March 12.
Deebo Samuel trade grades
San Franciso 49ers: B
It became clear during the 2024 season that Samuel’s role was diminishing in the 49ers’ offense. Even after Aiyuk’s injury midway through the season, it was Jennings, not Samuel, who led San Francisco receivers in targets, catches, yards and touchdowns.
Last year was the first season of both Jennings’ and Aiyuk’s new contract extensions, and this offseason is the first in which Purdy, their quarterback, can sign an extension of his own. San Francisco needed to free up some cap space with so much money committed – or soon to be committed – to the leaders of their passing offense. By trading Samuel, the team frees up over $15 million, which helps their grade in this trade at first glance.
However, it feels like San Francisco got less compensation for Samuel than they could have. This year’s pending free agent class is lacking young wide receivers that have an All-Pro-level ceiling. Tampa Bay’s Chris Godwin and Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins are by far the most talented pending free agent receivers younger than 30, and there’s a sizable drop-off after that.
For the 49ers to only get the No. 148 overall pick for Samuel – a receiver that still has a high ceiling despite a lack of recent production – feels underwhelming.
Washington Commanders: A
The Commanders got a weapon to pair with McLaurin, their star receiver, and Daniels, their young quarterback, in their passing offense. And all it cost them was a fifth-round pick.
For context, the Eagles traded the Commanders a third-round pick and two seventh-round picks for wide receiver Jahan Dotson before the 2024 season
It immediately fills one of the Commanders’ biggest needs to address this offseason with receivers Olamide Zaccheaus and Noah Brown set to hit free agency and no true No. 2 pass-catcher to play with McLaurin. In filling that need via trade, Washington general manager Adam Peters now has the ability to tackle other roster needs (read: cornerback, linebacker) in free agency and April’s NFL draft.
Washington will take a cap hit of around $15 million by bringing in Samuel, but that’s not a huge problem for the team that ranks third in cap space this offseason, according to OverTheCap.com.