Deebo Samuel’s First Social Media Post After Being Traded to Commanders
The San Francisco 49ers shocked the NFL world on Saturday when they agreed to trade star wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick. The deal won’t become official until the new league year begins on March 12.
The news comes just days after Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reported the Commanders and Houston Texans had been the two most aggressive teams in pursuing a deal for the Pro Bowl wideout. ESPN also reported that star defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, who the Commanders gave permission to seek a trade days prior, was also part of the trade discussions for Samuel but was ultimately not included.
The news likely didn’t come as a surprise to Samuel, who made it known he wanted to be traded to another team and who has a history with Washington general manager Adam Peters, who was San Francisco’s assistant general manager up until taking the Commanders’ job in 2024. It didn’t take Samuel, 29, long to react to the trade news as he took to Instagram to make his thoughts known about leaving San Francisco.
“Appreciate yall for everything!!!!!” Samuel posted along with a video of him being drafted 36th overall back in 2019 out of South Carolina. View the original article to see embedded media.
The move frees up $17.55 million in salary for the 49ers, which Washington will take on as part of the deal. It also gives 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels (3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns, nine interceptions) another weapon opposite Terry McLaurin, who caught 82 passes for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. Samuel leaves San Francisco with 334 receptions, 4,792 yards receiving and 22 touchdowns, plus 1,143 yards rushing, and 20 more touchdowns. He became the first receiver in NFL history to record 20 rushing and 20 receiving touchdowns in his career.
49ers send Deebo Samuel to Commanders for fifth-round pick, getting younger in process
The 49ers are optimizing around quarterback Brock Purdy, both financially and stylistically — and doing so will require some jarring course adjustments that disregard nostalgia from the not-too-distant past. One came on Saturday evening, when the 49ers completed a trade sending receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders for a fifth-round draft pick.
This wasn’t exactly surprising. The 29-year-old Samuel had requested a trade last month and 49ers general manager John Lynch subsequently acknowledged a divorce made sense for both sides. But it’s jolting news regardless, simply because it marks a distinct shift for the team.
With Purdy expected to sign the largest contract in franchise history this offseason, the 49ers are working to ensure their offense is tailored around his skill set. The team ranked No. 32 — dead last — in average separation at the time of catch or incompletion in 2024, Samuel’s worst season since entering the league in 2019.
Although his style, which emphasized bulldozing over separating, had delivered massive production for the 49ers in prior seasons, it clearly didn’t pair optimally with Purdy’s aggressive downfield focus.
So when Samuel — likely seeing writing on the wall after rookie Ricky Pearsall emerged to collect 18 targets over the 49ers’ final two games — requested to be traded in February, Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan quickly signaled their willingness to oblige their receiver.
The 49ers weren’t willing to extend Samuel’s contract, which expires after this next season — at least not at the price he desired. So they dealt him to a Washington team whose general manager is Adam Peters, a former 49ers executive who was around when San Francisco drafted Samuel out of South Carolina in 2019.
On the big-picture scale, the 49ers open up $17.5 million in salary-cap space with this maneuver. With over $50 million of 2025 cap space available, they’re willing and able to absorb $31.6 million of dead money — all of which would’ve hit the cap at some point — in this cycle.
The 49ers were reportedly interested in adding Washington’s Jonathan Allen in the trade, but the defensive tackle’s $16.4 million salary would’ve essentially offset any savings from trading Samuel and would’ve made for an inefficient play on the 49ers’ part.
