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One of the first major dominos of the offseason has fallen as the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders have agreed to a trade that sends wide receiver Deebo Samuel out of the Bay Area. In exchange for Samuel, the Niners are reportedly receiving a fifth-round pick, but it is currently unclear what year that pick is.
Samuel moving on from the 49ers had been looming for a while after he requested out of the organization earlier this offseason, so this news doesn’t come as too much of a shock. That’s particularly true with general manager John Lynch saying this week at the NFL Scouting Combine that the team was going to honor his trade request. Still, it’s a move that has the potential to shake up the NFC, especially after the Commanders reached the NFC Championship during the first year of Jayden Daniels‘ career.
As we digest this deal, let’s take a deeper dive into what each team received and then hand out our grades.
The trade
- Commanders get: WR Deebo Samuel
- 49ers get: Fifth-round pick
The grades
Commanders: A
The Commanders had a clear need for a secondary pass catcher opposite of Terry McLaurin, and Samuel fills that need splendidly. While McLaurin topped 1,000 yards receiving for the fifth consecutive year, no other Washington pass catcher was able to cross that threshold. Veteran tight end Zach Ertz, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, was second on the team in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. As for the next-best receiver on the roster, that was Olamide Zaccheaus, who registered 506 yards and three touchdowns in 17 games played. Samuel should come in and immediately warrant the second-most touches in the passing game for the Commanders.
As for the money angle of this trade, the Commanders had the third-highest amount of cap space prior to this trade and currently have an elite quarterback playing on his rookie contract, so they can easily extend themselves for Samuel.
This landing spot is also interesting for Samuel as it reunites him with current Commanders general manager Adam Peters, who was the vice president of player personnel for the 49ers when the team drafted him in 2019. Peters should have deep knowledge of what Samuel can bring to the offense and know how he’ll fit with head coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
49ers: C
Because Samuel had publicly requested a trade, that’s always going to decrease the return for the team dealing the player away. While a fifth-round pick isn’t anything to write home about, it’s an asset. Would they have preferred a higher pick on Day 3 of the draft? Sure. Given that Samuel also is entering the final year of his deal, however, the team dealing for him isn’t going to be throwing around major assets for a 29-year-old pass catcher with a lot of tread on his tire AND pay him. From a financial standpoint, ESPN reports that the Commanders are taking on the remainder of Samuel’s contract and paying his full $17.55 million salary, so the Niners do get some relief in that regard.
The 49ers also were seemingly bracing for a shake-up to its wide receiver room in recent years, inking Jauan Jennings to a two-year extension last spring and drafting Ricky Pearsall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. They also — for the moment — have Brandon Aiyuk, so they are equipped to absorb Samuel’s departure.
