The Washington Commanders needed another elite wide receiver to pair with NFL All-Pro and franchise legend Terry McLaurin. Some of the wildest speculation had the franchise dropping up to $100 million to get a player like Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, who eventually got hit with the franchise tag for the second consecutive season.
Instead, the Commanders pulled off the first big move of the offseason by swapping a 2025 fifth round draft pick with the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for former NFL All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career.
While the Commanders will have to eat a huge salary for Samuel in 2025 — he’ll count $17.5 million against the salary cap — if they can avoid a long term commitment and Samuel delivers in a contract year it could turn out to be a great move.
Samuel’s performance in 2025 and his high-volume usage during 6 seasons with the 49ers and the fact he appeared to be quite a bit overweight during the 2024 season are realities the Commanders have to deal with and hope Samuel overcomes.
Not everyone is sold on that happening. The Ringer’s Bill Simmons pointed out that Samuel might not be the player the Commanders think they’re getting.
“San Francisco was like ‘yeah, we’re good, take him,’ ” Simmons said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on March 4. “That dude’s body’s been through a lot … I watch football every week. Deebo took a (expletive) ton of hits. The way they used him, he was like a crash test dummy. And I just wonder if (the 49ers) were like, ‘I think we took this as far as we can go.’ Like if it starts to dip, it could be on somebody else’s team.”
Samuel Could Play Way Into One Final Payday
The reality of Samuel’s situation is that if he can deliver another bravura season with the Commanders like he’s done with the 49ers, he could be in line for one final big payday for his career in 2026.
What would a good to great season look like for Samuel in 2025? At his best, in 2021, Samuel put up over 1,700 yards of total offense, including 77 receptions for 1,405 yards and 14 total touchdowns, in his one NFL All-Pro season. You have to imagine if the Commanders can coax at least 1,000 yards of offense and 10 touchdowns out of Samuel it would have to be considered a successful trade. Especially if they avoid committing to any long term money. Samuel is in the final season of the 3-year, $71.55 million contract extension he signed with the 49ers in 2022.
Washington general manager Adam Peters was working for the 49ers for all of Samuel’s career until 2024, first as vice president of player personnel then as assistant general manager.
Samuel’s massive salary means the Commanders are taking on a big risk — but they’re only doing it for one year. After Washington made it to the NFC Championship Game in 2024 with just one elite wide receiver in McLaurin, the upside to getting second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels a player like Samuel could be playing in the Super Bowl.
