49ers deal Deebo Samuel to Commanders, ESPN sources say

The San Francisco 49ers have agreed to send standout wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders in exchange for a fifth-round pick, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Saturday evening.

Like any other trade agreed to now, this deal cannot be processed until the new league year begins on March 12.

For the Commanders, they added another weapon for quarterback Jayden Daniels, trading for a former All-Pro receiver. The move ended an often-productive but at times tumultuous six-year run for Samuel with San Francisco.

San Francisco will absorb a $31,550,012 dead money hit on this year's salary cap. Samuel, who has one year remaining on his contract, will count $17.5 million on Washington's salary cap. It's possible the Commanders extend his deal.

Originally selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft, Samuel instantly became a favorite of coach Kyle Shanahan, who maximized Samuel's versatile skill set by lining him up all over the field and getting him the ball in a variety of ways. In his first six years Samuel has 4,792 yards receiving and 1,143 yards rushing. In the last four years he's rushed for 958 yards and 17 touchdowns while catching 244 passes for 3,599 yards and 18 touchdowns.

He had a dominant 2021 season, nearly carrying the 49ers' offense to the Super Bowl. He had 1,770 scrimmage yards and 14 total touchdowns as the Niners came up just short in the NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams.

Following that All-Pro season, Samuel made his first trade request as he and the Niners were embroiled in a contract dispute. San Francisco fielded offers for Samuel at the 2022 NFL draft but didn't get anything near what it wanted and ultimately signed Samuel to a three-year, $71.5 million extension.

Samuel has struggled to regain that form, averaging 56 receptions for 731.3 receiving yards and four touchdowns with 40 carries for 197.7 yards and three touchdowns over the past three seasons.

Samuel then made public his latest trade request, telling Schefter on Super Bowl Sunday of his desire to play elsewhere. 49ers general manager John Lynch said at the scouting combine they would honor that request.

Samuel joins a team that is aware of his talent Commanders general manager Adam Peters was an assistant general manager in San Francisco when the team drafted Samuel. Peters left the organization after last season to join Washington.

Also, Commanders run game coordinator Anthony Lynn was 49ers' assistant head coach/running backs in 2022-23.

Washington's offense ranked fifth in scoring and seventh in yards last season -- the first time it has finished top 10 in both categories since 2012 -- leading the team to the NFC Championship Game.

But four of the Commanders top six receivers from 2024 are pending free agents.

They also lacked a consistent second option alongside Pro Bowl receiver Terry McLaurin. Multiple players filled that role last season: Noah Brown, Dyami Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus. All three are potential free agents.

Washington averaged 5.1 yards after the catch last season, ranking 21st. Samuel has excelled on underneath routes and averages 9.0 yards after the catch for his career.

That should only help Daniels, who was the runaway offensive rookie of the year. He threw for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Samuel finished 2024 with 806 scrimmages yards and four touchdowns, both of which were career lows (save for a 2020 season in which he played just seven games). He dealt with calf, wrist, oblique and rib injuries and had an illness that cost him two games and parts of others.

Perhaps most alarming for the Niners was Samuel's rushing production dropped dramatically. After averaging 6.2 yards per carry when he emerged as the Niners' "wide back" in 2021, he managed just 3.2 yards per rush in 2024.

Samuel's frustration with his and the team's struggles boiled over a couple of times in 2024. In a November win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Samuel confronted kicker Jake Moody after his third missed field goal of the game. When long snapper Taybor Pepper stepped in to defend Moody, it led to a back-and-forth with some small shoves before the sides were separated.

After that game, Samuel said he was "just frustrated in the heat of battle" and "kind of got out of character a little bit."

In December, Samuel tweeted that was "not struggling at all just not getting the ball!" as complaints about his lack of production began to accumulate.

Speaking to media the day after the season ended in January, Samuel said he "had no questions at all" about his future in San Francisco. As it turned out, Samuel would again request a trade in his season-ending meeting with Shanahan.

"It was a hard conversation to have with Kyle because of the relationship that we have," Samuel told Schefter. "But I have to do what's best. I'm more than thankful for the Niners giving me the opportunity of a lifetime but now I think it's best that we find another team."

Now that Samuel has moved on, the 49ers again find themselves in need of more help in a wide receiver room full of questions.

Brandon Aiyuk is coming off a torn right ACL and MCL and it's unclear when he will be cleared to return to practice. Jauan Jennings emerged as the team's most productive wideout in 2023 but is entering the final year of his contract and rookie Ricky Pearsall flashed late-season promise but is still largely unproven.

Despite those questions, Lynch made it clear that the Samuel-49ers relationship had run its course and the time for a divorce was near. On Saturday, it arrived.

"He is a great player," Lynch said. "I think often one of my favorite draft picks of my time. He makes plays, and he makes game-changing plays. Everything is good. But I think at some point, time happens, and he asked for that."