A lunch meeting at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis was what started the trade talks that led to versatile wide receiver Deebo Samuel landing with the Washington Commanders this offseason.
Second-year general manager Adam Peters visited with San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch in Indy and casually brought up the topic, as the two worked worked with Samuel in San Fran when Peters was Assistant GM from 2021-23.
That mutual connection was ultimately what encouraged Peters to pursue the star receiver. And now it's a move he believes can push Washington over the hump in the NFC.
"Knowing Deebo from when we drafted him, to just the competitor he is on the field - he's one of the best competitors on the field I've ever seen in my life," Peters said on The Pat McAfee Show.
"He can put a team on his back and will you to win."
That is … a bold prediction.
Peters continued with details about how he plans to utilize Samuel's strengths within the Washington offense.
"He's going to be awesome to deal with," Peters said. "Understanding out offense, which is getting the ball out of Jayden [Daniels'] hands quickly ... he's really good at that and getting the ball in space and moving fast.
"That's going to present a lot of problems for defenses."
Putting Samuel and other dynamic weapons like Terry McLaurin and Brian Robinson Jr. at the disposal of rising star Jayden Daniels could be a lethal formula in 2025.
Particularly because of Deebo's versatility to catch the ball anywhere on the field and carry it out of the backfield, Peters has opened up a world of options for his thriving young offense.
The only thing left to do is execute the game plan and compete in the NFC after last season's march to the conference championship game.
