While fantasy enthusiasts were paying attention to the NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday, monitoring the workouts of draft-bound skill players, the 49ers and Commanders were cooking up a deal.
The 49ers traded WR Deebo Samuel to the Commanders for a 2025 fifth-round draft pick, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
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Deebo Samuel Traded to Commanders
The price Washington paid for Samuel was modest in terms of draft capital, but the Commanders will be obligated to pay their new receiver $17.55 million before he hits unrestricted free agency in 2026. The 49ers are on the hook for $31 million in dead cap money and lose $15.1 million worth of cap space this year, according to Spotrac.
Samuel is coming off a disappointing season in which he had 51 catches for 670 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games. Despite adding 136 rushing yards and a TD run, Samuel finished WR44 in half-point PPR fantasy scoring and WR50 in fantasy points per game.
It was a far cry from Samuel’s 1,405-yard receiving season in 2021, and a significant step backward after a 2023 season in which he had 1,117 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns.
In fairness, Samuel was briefly hospitalized with pneumonia in October, so there was a stretch of the season where he might not have been in peak condition.
Samuel turned 29 in January, so while he’s moving into the post-prime phase of his career, it’s probably too early to be concerned about age-related decline.
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The #49ers are trading star WR Deebo Samuel to the #Commanders for draft pick compensation, sources say.
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. pic.twitter.com/h9Ku5U6uX1
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 1, 2025
Being paired with dynamic young QB Jayden Daniels could rejuvenate Samuel. The veteran receiver was looking at stiff target competition in San Francisco had he stuck around, with George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall and Christian McCaffrey all expected to be prominently involved.
Terry McLaurin is the Commanders’ lead receiver, and elder-statesman TE Zach Ertz drew quite a few targets down the stretch, but beyond those two, the Commanders don’t have any high-volume pass catchers. Samuel has averaged 6.1 targets a game over the last three seasons, and that seems like a reasonable expectation for his target load in Washington. Throw in the rushing value that Samuel brings to the table, and it’s reasonable to view him as a low-end WR2.
The Samuel acquisition probably won’t make a significant dent in the value of McLaurin or Ertz considering that Samuel isn’t a target-hog type of receiver. But the trade can only help Daniels, who now has another sharp arrow in his quiver,
As for the 49ers, the Samuel trade brings a murky WR picture into better focus. The 49ers’ top three receivers will be Brandon Aiyuk, who had a big 2023 season but tore his ACL last October; Jauan Jennings, who proved last year that he deserves regular playing time; and Ricky Pearsall, a late first-round draft pick who flashed big time potential in the final two games of his rookie year (14 catches, 210 receiving yards, two TDs). Fantasy managers can feel more comfortable investing in San Francisco pass catchers now that there’s one fewer member in the herd.
The trade doesn’t significantly alter Samuel’s value in dynasty leagues, although he gets at least a slight bump. Samuel stakeholders have to be pleased that the receiver won’t be facing a target logjam in Washington. On the other hand, Samuel is 29 and is due to hit free agency a year from now.
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