What the Deebo Samuel trade means for the Commanders and 49ers

Eric Williams

NFL Reporter

INDIANAPOLIS — Three days after San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch confirmed that he had granted Deebo Samuel permission to seek a trade, the dynamic wide receiver has a new home with the Washington Commanders.

According to reports, the 49ers will receive a fifth-round pick in return for the 29-year-old playmaker. Samuel was looking for greener pastures after struggling through a 2024 campaign, totaling just 51 receptions for 670 receiving yards and three scores in 15 games. Those were the six-year veteran’s worst numbers over a full season.

Samuel has one year left on a $71.55 million deal that’s scheduled to pay him $17.55 million in 2025, which the Commanders will reportedly pick up in full. Paired with No. 1 receiver Terry McLaurin, Samuel adds another weapon to a Washington offense that lacked explosive playmaking ability on the perimeter last season. Commanders GM Adam Peters was with the 49ers when they selected Samuel in the second round of the 2019 draft, so he has an intimate understanding of the South Carolina product’s unique skill set.

Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury also faced Samuel twice a year when Kingsbury was head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, while Commanders run game coordinator Anthony Lynn is a former 49ers assistant. So they should know how to best use Samuel in the offense. The Commanders finished with 1,954 yards after the catch in 2024, No. 18 in the NFL. Samuel’s 1,469 yards after the catch over the past three seasons is No. 9 in the league.

With Samuel, the Commanders, who made the NFC Championship Game last season, are a legitimate title contender.

San Francisco restructured Samuel’s deal last September, so the 49ers are on the hook for a $31.55 million dead money hit, but they’ll avoid paying Samuel a $15.4 million option bonus he was due on March 22. Meanwhile, Washington is No. 3 in the NFL in salary cap space with a projected $78 million. The trade will not become official until the new league year begins on March 12.

The move frees up cash as the 49ers negotiate a contract extension for quarterback Brock Purdy that could pay him north of $50 million annually. Samuel became expendable when San Francisco signed Brandon Ayiuk last offseason to a four-year, $120 million deal as the team’s WR1. The 49ers also signed No. 3 receiver Jauan Jennings to a two-year, $15.4 million deal and selected Ricky Pearsall in the first round of last year’s draft.

Aiyuk, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Week 7 and is working through rehab, is also rumored to be available. At the NFL Combine this week, Lynch told reporters that he’s working to create a younger roster in 2025. In the upcoming draft, the 49ers are projected to have four picks in the top 100 and 11 picks overall.

“At some point you have to reset, or at least recalibrate,” the GM said about his team, which missed the postseason for the first time since 2020. “You can’t keep pressing the pedal. I think there’s some good that comes out of it. I think we’re the oldest team in football. We tried to make a run at it last year, but I think it’s good to constantly get younger.

“We’re excited to add more youth to a great core of players we already have.”

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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