The NFL trade market is expected to heat up when the new league year begins. On Saturday, fans got an early taste of what’s to come. The San Francisco 49ers made a significant trade with a fellow NFC contender that got plenty of attention.
On Saturday, the 49ers traded Deebo Samuel away to the Washington Commanders. After the 49ers recently intimated that Samuel asked for a trade, and they’d appeared ready to honor that request. And then this weekend, they finally pulled the trigger.
The 49ers acquired a fifth-round pick in exchange for the talented receiver, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
“The 49ers are trading star WR Deebo Samuel to the Commanders for draft pick compensation,” Rapoport said. He noted that the wide receiver is set to make nearly $22 million this season, a number San Francisco wasn’t willing to let hit their books. He later noted the compensation.
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
The 49ers’ decision to trade Samuel comes after a very successful career in the Bay Area. He became one of the most versatile players on the team, a dynamic piece who could catch the ball in space as a wide receiver while he occasionally ran out of the backfield as well.
Certainly, Jayden Daniels and the Commanders will be happy to have Samuel aboard. It’s all for one season at the moment, and as Daniels and the Commanders improve and move upward, having a player like Deebo around will only help matters.
The Commanders finally rebounded after years of being poorly run in 2024, as they made the playoffs and went to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991.
Now, next season, they hope to move even further ahead.
