Commanders acquire Deebo Samuel from 49ers for fifth-round pick

Deebo Samuel has a new home. 

The Washington Commanders have acquired the star wide receiver from the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a fifth-round pick, FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz reported Saturday. 

Samuel is three years removed from his career year in 2021, when he was named first team All-Pro. Last season, he had 51 receptions for 670 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 15 games for the 6-11 49ers, adding 136 rushing yards and a rushing score. 

Though the 29-year-old Samuel may not be the player he once was, the move bolsters the Commanders’ depth at wide receiver and gives Jayden Daniels another standout pass-catcher. In 2024, Terry McLaurin was the only Washington wide receiver to have at least 50 receptions, 600 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. Tight end Zach Ertz had 66 receptions for 654 yards and seven touchdowns, and wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus was third on the team in all three of those stats (45 receptions for 504 receiving yards). Only one other player on the Commanders had multiple touchdown receptions in 2024 (Jamison Crowder with two).

Still, Daniels arguably had the best rookie season ever by a quarterback. He threw for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions to go with 891 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. Daniels led the Commanders to a 12-5 record in the regular season and two upset wins in the playoffs before Washington lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. 

As for the 49ers, they gave Samuel permission to seek a trade earlier in the offseason. They’ll take a $31,550,012 dead money hit against this year’s salary cap, but they’ll still have roughly $50 million in cap space, per Over The Cap. They selected wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in the first round of last year’s draft and gave Brandon Aiyuk a four-year, $120 million extension last August, leading to speculation that Samuel’s days in San Francisco were numbered.

Samuel has one season left on his contract, holding a $17.5 million cap hit. However, none of that money is guaranteed, which could possibly lead to an extension with Washington this offseason. The Commanders had roughly $81 million in cap space this offseason, per Over The Cap.

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