Report: Deebo Samuel Traded to Jayden Daniels' Commanders; 49ers Get 5th-Round Pick

Deebo Samuel's stellar run with the San Francisco 49ers has come to an end after six seasons.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the 49ers are trading their star wide receiver to the Washington Commanders. ESPN's Adam Schefter added the 49ers will receive a fifth-round pick in exchange for Samuel.

The Commanders are taking on the remainder of Samuel's contract and will be paying his full $17.55 million salary for 2025, per Schefter.

According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, the 49ers and Commanders also discussed a potential swap involving Samuel and Washington defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, who ultimately was not included in the deal.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler noted that Allen is due $16.4 million in 2025 and that his contract could have been a "possible hurdle" in those discussions.

It's been an interesting time for the 49ers and their wide receivers, to say the least. Brandon Aiyuk had a prolonged hold-in during training camp before finally getting a four-year, $120 million extension at the end of August.

Prior to that deal, NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco reported on Aug. 5 that the 49ers had the framework of a trade agreement in place with the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots, but it was up to Aiyuk to agree to a contract with either club to finalize a deal.

While no deal came about with either of those teams, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on Aug. 14 that the Niners and Pittsburgh Steelers had the framework of a trade in place if the 49ers decided to make a move.

Even after the 49ers got a deal done with Aiyuk, his season came to an end during a Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs when he suffered a torn ACL and MCL.

There were indications before and during the first round of the 2024 NFL draft the smoke around Samuel was increasing. The Athletic's Matt Barrows noted the 49ers wanted a mid-first-round pick for Aiyuk, so when that passed it seemed unlikely he was going anywhere.

As those rumors were going on, the 49ers drafted Florida standout Ricky Pearsall with the No. 31 pick to add to their receiver room. Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle reported after the first round was over the feeling among other teams was that Samuel was more likely to be dealt than Aiyuk.

Given the age of their roster and salary cap situation in future years with Brock Purdy eligible for an extension, the 49ers have started to break up some of the nucleus from their recent run of success.

Samuel, who is under contract through 2025, has been traded in a surprise deal because of Aiyuk's injury. These moves come as the Niners already have Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, George Kittle and Trent Williams signed to deals paying them at least $15 million per season.

A litany of injuries to several key contributors resulted in the Niners finishing a disappointing 6-11 in 2024. Despite all of the concerns about the age and cost of the roster, general manager John Lynch told reporters on Jan. 8 they had no interest in simply releasing Samuel.

"Deebo is under contract," Lynch said. "[He's] a good player and has done a ton for this organization and we're not in the business of letting good players out of here."

Samuel told Schefter on Feb. 9 that the 49ers gave his camp permission to find a trade partner.

"It was a hard conversation to have with Kyle because of the relationship that we have," Samuel told Schefter about his discussions with the coaching staff that led up to the request. "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."

The nature of the NFL and a hard salary cap makes it so teams can't keep everyone. Samuel has been an essential part of the 49ers' success during his five years with the club. He was named to the All-Pro first team in 2021 when he created the "wide-back" position because of his versatility in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense.

It will be interesting to see how Shanahan adjusts without Samuel, but the 49ers' loss is a huge gain for the Commanders.

Coming off a run to the NFC Championship Game last season, the Commanders are doing all they can to close the gap on the Philadelphia Eagles.

Wide receiver seemed like a position they were going to target this offseason. Terry McLaurin is the established No. 1 target for Jayden Daniels, but they didn't have a proven secondary option. Tight end Zach Ertz was their second-leading receiver in 2024 with 654 yards.

While Samuel's best role is as a gadget player that doesn't ask him to only run receiver routes, he has proven himself to be very good in a situation with other high-level wideouts during his time in San Francisco.

Washington's front office is very familiar with Samuel. General manager Adam Peters worked with the 49ers from 2017 to '23.

Given the amount of attention Daniels is going to command from opposing defenses, adding Samuel into the mix with his versatility should open things up even more for Washington's offense as it looks to make another deep playoff run in 2025.