The relationship between Deebo Samuel and the 49ers hadn't been good for a while, and one team insider described what went down.
The San Francisco 49ers made a bold statement in trading wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders.
For starters, the Niners are taking on a $31.5 million salary cap hit in 2025, getting a mere fifth-round pick back in return. Yet they don't care. The 49ers wanted to wipe their hands clean and move on.
Also, San Francisco is trading Samuel to a top NFC contender instead of out of the conference, suggesting general manager John Lynch and Co. believe Samuel won't be as big of a difference maker as the Commanders hope he will be. After all, it's not hard to recognize Samuel's decline since his memorable 2021 first-team All-Pro campaign that ultimately netted him a lucrative contract extension the following offseason despite his first trade request and subsequent ugly negotiations.
Earlier reports suggested the 49ers weren't too pleased with Samuel after that particular standoff, and the relationship has been in a steady decline ever since.
But, according to the SF Standard's Tim Kawakami, there was a specific moment in which the Niners realized the relationship was coming to a close.
Super Bowl 58 was a watershed moment in Deebo Samuel-49ers relationship
Per Kawakami, there were some notable concerns about Samuel's injuries and play style leading up to San Francisco's appearance in Super Bowl 58 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
But, in that game where the 49ers needed one of their offensive stars to shine on the biggest stages, Samuel wasn't it.
As Kawakami mentioned, that was the turning point:
Earlier this offseason, Kawakami pointed out how Samuel routinely showed up overweight in 2024, which was also confirmed by The Athletic's Matt Barrows on Kawakami's podcast."I asked a few NFL people when the tide really changed for Deebo inside 49ers HQ and the answer I kept getting: the Super Bowl in February 2024, when Kyle Shanahan repeatedly tried to get the ball to Deebo, who failed to produce much of anything. He caught 3 passes for 33 yards, ran it 3 times for 8 yards, and was a complete non-factor — when one big play might’ve won it all.
A great 2024 season from Deebo could’ve changed the mood. But he never got going, suffered a few injuries, complained about not getting enough chances, and just looked slow and undynamic. The 49ers lost Brandon Aiyuk midseason, and it was Jauan Jennings, not Deebo, who took over as Brock Purdy’s best and favorite WR target. After all that, there was no way the 49ers were going to pay out the full value of Deebo’s contract. And Deebo didn’t want a pay cut. So now he’s a Commander."
That certainly didn't help ease tensions either.
As such, Samuel's lackluster 2024 campaign only reinforced what the Niners had already concluded: The 2021 All-Pro was far removed from his All-Pro self and no longer warranted big money.
Now, would San Francisco be better off if it opted to release Samuel outright with a June 1 designation, saving substantial cap space in the process? Perhaps, but Kawakami felt the 49ers wanted to make a statement by getting only a fifth-round pick in return. And that also jives with what Kawakami has heard from the Niners' front office, a growing frustration with top players underperforming on high-value contracts.
Either way, the proverbial "writing on the wall" for this blockbuster move has been there for some time, and there seems to be a pinpoint event when it became inevitable.
