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After weeks and weeks of anticipation, questions, and will they, won't they's, the San Francisco 49ers have officially pulled the trigger on trading Deebo Samuel, shipping the former Pro Bowler to the Washington Commanders.
Taking to social media, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport announced the move, which is currently being done for a fifth-round pick.
“The 49ers are trading star WR Deebo Samuel to the Commanders for draft pick compensation, sources say,” Rapoport wrote. “Samuel, due $21.7M this year, now heads to join former SF exec Adam Peters and play with QB Jayden Daniels, who gets another weapon.”
So why would the 49ers make this move now, and for such a seemingly meager return of a mid-Day 3 pick? Why not wait for the draft or to see if some team strikes out on their preferred target in free agency? Well, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports broke it down, noting that the two sides have been talking for some time now.
“Talks between the 49ers and Commanders really ramped up in the last 24 hours,” Schultz wrote. “Washington wanted to add another weapon alongside Terry McLaurin for Jayden Daniels — with GM Adam Peters having previously been in San Francisco with Deebo. The Texans were also in the mix, but Washington was the most aggressive from the get-go.”
After striking out on a deal to acquire Samuel's former teammate, Brandon Aiyuk, last year, the Commanders have officially secured themselves a top-tier talent to play alongside McLaurin and Daniels heading into a very interesting 2025 NFL season. While it's hard to say why the deal went down now, be it because Washington didn't like the players in the draft or in free agency or because they simply worried that the Texans would make a move instead, that is all in the rear-view: Samuel is heading to Washington to reunite with Adam Peters, and both the NFC East and the NFC West have to take note as a result.
