NFL wide receiver Deebo Samuel is not necessarily the same player he once was, and is now nearly four years removed from his All-Pro season in 2021. His weekend trade from the 49ers to the Commanders, however, still presents a clear signal as to the immediate direction and financial state of both franchises.
San Francisco dealt the 29-year-old Samuel for a 2025 fifth-round draft pick, according to multiple reports, with the 49ers honoring a trade demand he made prior to Super Bowl LIX.
The trade will see the Commanders adding another offensive weapon after enjoying an unexpected renaissance in the 2024 season that included a trip to the NFC championship game. Washington will assume all of Samuel’s $17.55 million salary for the 2025 season—and has plenty of room to do so, with the NFL’s third-largest total of available cap space at nearly $84 million. Without a contract extension, however, the trade could essentially be a one-year rental.
The 49ers, meanwhile, will be retrenching after a 6-11 season last year that was the team’s worst since 2018. San Francisco will assume a $31.55 million dead cap hit as a result of the deal and a prior restructuring of Samuel’s contract. The move will also likely help free up cash as the 49ers seek a contract extension with quarterback Brock Purdy that could pay more than $50 million per year.
Samuel will also reunite with Adam Peters, now Commanders GM and formerly the 49ers’ assistant GM. Peters was part of the leadership team in San Francisco that drafted Samuel in 2019. A key part of Samuel’s on-field skill is his ability as both a runner and receiver, and while in San Francisco, he lined up in a wide variety of formations. His time with the 49ers, however, was often tumultuous, and he had a prior contract dispute with the team after his breakthrough 2021 season.
The trade is due to become official on March 12, the first day of the 2025 NFL league year. Samuel, however, made a somewhat more terse version of a typical pro athlete goodbye message, posting a highlight reel on Instagram with the simple message, “Appreciate y’all for everything!!!!!”
The Commanders, meanwhile, made a veiled reference to the deal, posting a clip of the Deebo character from Friday.
