Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel's weight has been a consistent topic of conversation on the internet, with Terrell Owens, in particular, calling Samuel “fat” in a video over the summer.
After a rather unflattering picture of Samuel wearing a Philadelphia Eagles jersey surfaced, in which he appeared to have put on weight. Subsequent rumors indicated Samuel weighed as much as 250 pounds and was 25 pounds overweight before he said he was 225 “to be exact.”
Still, fans and media members criticized Samuel's shape and conditioning based on his showing at the Commanders minicamp.
On one hand, there is a lot of time to Deebo to play his way into shape
On the other hand… pic.twitter.com/rzdr6HakgV
— Davis Mattek (@DavisMattek) June 11, 2025
While appearing on Barstool Sports' ‘Pardon My Take' podcast, Samuel addressed the online discourse around his weight.
“It’s the media, so, you know, you don’t really get into it. They probably took a picture of me when I had f—-ing pneumonia, about to die out there, and couldn’t breathe,” Samuel said.
Samuel is now with the Commanders after a rough final season with the San Francisco 49ers, during which he caught 51 passes for 670 yards and 3 touchdowns, while rushing for 136 yards and one touchdown. The receptions, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns totals were the lowest for Samuel in a single season since 2020, when he played 7 games. Additionally, his 3.2 yards per carry average set a new career-worst mark, narrowly beating his 3.3 average four years earlier.
Samuel also got into an altercation with long snapper Taybor Pepper and kicker Jake Moody after the latter missed his third field goal in a game. Samuel said afterward that “got out of character a little bit” and would resolve the issue with Moody.
Following the season, Samuel was traded by the 49ers to the Commanders, seemingly pairing him with star wideout Terry McLaurin, although he has since requested a trade amid contentious contract negotiations. Nonetheless, Samuel will likely be relied upon heavily during Jayden Daniels' second season in the NFL.
Daniels, the second overall pick in last year's draft, had a stunningly effective rookie season with the Commanders. He threw for more than 3,500 yards and 25 touchdowns as Washington went 12-5 and made the playoffs for the first time in four years. In the postseason, the Commanders also beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions en route to the NFC Championship, where they lost to the Eagles.
Samuel, 29, is entering the final season of his contract and carries a $5.2 million cap hit.
