Deebo Samuel Trade Grades

In the first major move of the 2025 NFL offseason, the San Francisco 49ers shipped Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders in exchange for a 5th round pick. We’ll be breaking down what this means for the Commanders, for the 49ers, & impact across the rest of the league.

Washington Commanders Trade Grade: A

After getting blown out in the NFC Championship game, it was clear that the Commanders need to invest in upgrading some key positions this offseason if they want to compete with the elite teams in the conference. One of those key positions was wide receiver where they needed to give Jayden Daniels more help outside of just Terry McLaurin. The Commanders now land a versatile veteran receiver who has had 4 straight seasons with 800+ yards from scrimmage. The veteran receiver is 3 years removed from being a Pro Bowler, but he still can function as a receiver and running threat for a team needing an extra boost. The Commanders are taking on $17 million of his contract for the one year, but likely will sign him to an extension to keep him with Jayden Daniels for the long term.

San Francisco 49ers Trade Grade: D

The 49ers had a rough season riddled with injuries in 2024 which made it tough for quarterback Brock Purdy to do very much with the team, especially since the majority of the injuries were on offense. Instead of looking to bring back their core next year when they are fully healthy, the Niners are taking a different approach and opted to trade Deebo Samuel while also exploring trade options for fellow wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Deebo only had 1 year left on his deal, has had injury troubles, and has seen his performance decline, but to only get back a 5th rounder in the deal was a fleece by the Washington Commanders. The 49ers also had to eat over $30 million in dead money as part of the deal which makes the fact that getting a 5th rounder is even worse for them. We’re not sure what the 49ers are doing, but this was not the right move to make and we don’t expect them to return to Super Bowl form if they keep this trend of questionable moves up. 

League Impact

The 49ers have made themselves worse and appear to be giving up from competing now. This opens up the NFC West race, making the Los Angeles Rams the team to beat in the division. The conference as a whole reap the benefits with the 49ers opting to focus on the long-term instead. 

The biggest question this trade sets is what’s the value of other receivers on the market going to be. Last year, the Cowboys traded a 4th round pick for Jonathan Mingo in what was already seen as a fleece, but now that this trade has happened, it’s making it look even more like one. This trade also sets the precedent that receivers are not as valuable as they once were like the trade that brought Tyreek Hill to Miami for a plethora of draft picks. One big veteran receiver who is on the trade market is Davante Adams who played his last down as a member of the New York Jets. Given Deebo went for a 5th, the Jets need to have a low asking price for Adams, especially since they already commented that they would release him if they are unable to move him.