One of the first moves of the offseason for the San Francisco 49ers was not to acquire talent to move past their dismal 6-11 finish last year but to move on from a fan favorite.
San Fran traded away All-Pro receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders in a salary cap move that put the 49ers one weapon short in an offense that struggled at times to move the ball.
A trade of Samuel always seemed like a possibility, especially with the star entering the final year of his contract.
Grant Cohn of 49ers on SI made it clear that the 49ers made a mistake, though. Not because they moved on from Samuel, but because of who they traded him to.
"Trading Deebo Samuel was the right move for the 49ers. And ultimately, they didn't have a choice, considering Samuel requested the trade. But they didn't have to send him to the Commanders," Cohn said. "All the 49ers got in return was a measly fifth-round draft pick. It's not like the Commanders made them an offer they couldn't refuse. The 49ers could have sent him anywhere else for a late pick, preferably somewhere in the AFC so the 49ers won't have to face him."
The 49ers are hoping to get back into the playoff picture once again. In order to do that, other contending teams will need to take a step back for them to climb up.
One of those teams could be the Commanders with Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels.
Washington getting Samuel won't make a sophomore slump easy to happen, though. In the case of the 49ers, they just gave one of their better weapons to a team they could see a lot of this year.
