NFL Trade Rumors: Washington Commanders Acquiring San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel

The 2025 offseason is heating up. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the San Francisco 49ers are trading wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick.

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The #49ers are trading star WR Deebo Samuel to the #Commanders for draft pick compensation, sources say.

Samuel, due $21.7M this year, now heads to join former SF exec Adam Peters and play with QB Jayden Daniels, who gets another weapon. pic.twitter.com/h9Ku5U6uX1
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 1, 2025

The 49ers have been exploring trades for Samuel due to their logjam of quality wide receivers. Last year, they signed Brandon Aiyuk to a massive four-year, $120 million deal and spent a first-round pick on Ricky Pearsall in the 2024 NFL Draft. Jauan Jennings also emerged as arguably their best wide receiver last regular season, hauling in 77 passes for 975 yards and six touchdowns.

With tight end George Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey also on the roster, the 49ers simply have too many mouths to feed. They'll absorb a massive $31.02 million in dead money for moving Samuel.

The fact that the Commanders managed to acquire Samuel for a mere fifth-round pick comes as a bit of a shock. It implies that the 49ers must not have had many suitors for his services. It even suggests Samuel may have to play out the final year of his existing contract in order to reestablish his value. He may have to seek a new deal in free agency next offseason.

Samuel was once one of the league's most unique and promising wide receivers. In 2021, he earned first-team All-Pro recognition for a dominant two-way campaign in which he caught 77 balls for 1405 receiving yards while adding 59 rushing attempts for 365 yards. That novel play earned him a three-year, $71.55 million extension.

Samuel has remained an effective receiver for years but hasn't quite lived up to the lofty standards of that breakout season. He still managed a respectable 51.0 receiving yards per game at 8.3 yards per target last year, but his efficiency as a runner dipped noticeably. After averaging 6.3 yards per rush through his first six seasons, Samuel plummeted all the way to 3.2 in 2024.

Still, Samuel is a worthy gamble for the Commanders. His punishing running and yards-after-catch ability should fit well across from two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Terry McLaurin. The Commanders were already one of the best teams in the league at moving the chains last year (380 first downs, fourth-most in the NFL), and Samuel could help them jump another level.