Winners and Losers After 49ers Trade Deebo Samuel to Commanders

The first major domino in the 2025 NFL trade market fell on Saturday when the San Francisco 49ers agreed to send wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the San Francisco 49ers.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Washington will get the 29-year-old playmaker in exchange for a fifth-round pick. The deal comes in the closing days of the scouting combine and a little over a week before the start of free agency's legal-contact window.

The trade obviously impacts Washington and San Francisco, but the effects may also be felt elsewhere. Here, we'll examine the biggest winners and losers of the Samuel deal and how it could impact them moving forward.

Winners: The Commanders and QB Jayden Daniels

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Commanders QB Jayden Daniels

The most obvious winners of the deal are the Commanders and second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Daniels, the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, had a phenomenal first season. He accounted for 3,568 passing yards, 891 rushing yards and 31 combined passing and rushing touchdowns. He also helped take a team that won four games in 2023 to the NFC title game.

Adding Samuel should give Daniels the high-end No. 2 receiver he largely lacked as a rookie. Terry McLaurin was a fantastic top target, but tight end Zach Ertz—who is an impending free agent—filled in as the second option. Olamide Zaccheaus ranked third on the team with 506 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Samuel only had 670 receiving yards in 2024, but he did reach 806 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns in 15 games. He should be an upgrade over Zaccheaus as a second receiver, and his versatility will open up new options for offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

The Commanders, who ranked fifth in rushing attempts last season, are getting another part-time running option in Samuel. Kingsbury is getting a utility piece, while Daniels is getting a receiver who can generate big plays before or after the catch. Adding all of that for a fifth-round pick is a bargain.

Loser: 49ers QB Brock Purdy

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While Daniels will benefit from adding Samuel, 49ers QB Brock Purdy could be hurt by his departure. Losing a playmaker with Samuel's ceiling—he had 1,117 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023—and multi-faceted skill set rarely helps a signal-caller.

On paper, San Francisco isn't short on receiving options. The 49ers extended Brandon Aiyuk last offseason and used a first-round pick on Ricky Pearsall. Tight end George Kittle remains one of the best in the league, Christian McCaffrey is an elite dual-threat, and Jauan Jennings emerged as a high-end No. 2 receiver last season.

However, Aiyuk is recovering from a season-ending knee injury (ACL, MCL), while McCaffrey missed most of last season with Achilles and knee injuries. In addition, head coach Kyle Shanahan may need to dial back his creative play-calling without the ability to play Samuel in multiple spots.

"You can't really replace Deebo," Kittle told USA Today's Sports Seriously (h/t NFL.com's Nick Shook). "I think he's one of the most unique players in the NFL because of what he can do."

Depending on how the recoveries of Aiyuk and McCaffrey unfold, Purdy may miss Samuel in a big way next season. Financially, that may not mean much, as the 49ers have already begun extension talks with the third-year quarterback.

Yet, Purdy may find playing up to his next contract to be a challenge with Samuel no longer in the fold.

Winners: 49ers GM John Lynch and WR Deebo Samuel

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49ers general manager John Lynch

Purdy may not be thrilled about losing one of his most dynamic playmakers, and the 49ers clearly didn't get a significant haul in terms of trade capital. However, this trade was still a win for the 49ers.

Would San Francisco have liked to get more? Sure, but Samuel was coming off a down season and entering the final year of his contract. With Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp also on the trade market, and with free agency looming, postponing a deal might have led to an even lower return.

Plus, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Commanders have agreed to take on Samuel's contract, as written, and pay the $17.6 million he's owed in 2025. That leaves San Francisco on the hook for a $31 million dead-cap hit this year, but leaves no financial commitment beyond 2025—Samuel's deal had void years running through 2029.

General manager John Lynch didn't agree to pay any of Samuel's salary to facilitate a trade—which teams have done in the past—and he resolved the situation well ahead of free agency and the draft.

That situation has essentially hung over San Francisco since the end of the 2024 season, when Samuel officially requested a trade.

"It was a hard conversation to have with Kyle (Shanahan) because of the relationship that we have,” Samuel said, per Schefter. “But I have to do what’s best."

Samuel wanted a change of scenery and got it. For that reason, the receiver must also be considered a winner.

Loser: The Los Angeles Rams

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As previously mentioned, the Rams are looking to move receiver Cooper Kupp. The 31-year-old receiver essentially announced it himself in early February.

“I was informed that the team will be seeking a trade immediately and will be working with me and my family to find the right place to continue competing for championships,” Kupp posted on X. 

Los Angeles had also allowed quarterback Matthew Stafford to speak with other teams, though he and the Rams reached a new agreement on Friday. If L.A. was hoping to turn its attention back to a Kupp deal and get a sizeable return, it can't be thrilled with the Samuel trade.

Kupp's base salary of $12.5 million is lower than what the Commanders are set to pay Samuel, and he has two years left on his contract instead of one. However, he's also two-and-a-half years older than Samuel and has battle numerous injuries over the past few seasons.

In 2021, Kupp led the NFL with 1,947 receiving yards. In the three years since, he played just 33 games and no more than 12 in a season. The Rams are unlikely to get a substantially larger return than what San Francisco got for Samuel, and that's assuming they can find a trade partner.

Saturday's deal takes at least one potential suitor off of the table—unless Washington is aggressive enough to add Samuel and Kupp in the same offseason.

Losers: Other Teams Interested in Samuel

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Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans

The Commanders appear to have gotten quite a deal for Samuel, while the timing and the terms of the trade could have been much worse for San Francisco. While perhaps not the biggest "win-win" deal we've seen in the NFL, the trade was a loss for other franchises hoping to employ the receiver.

Washington was not the only interested team.

According to Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz, the Houston Texans also had "significant" interest, while the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos had "checked in" on Samuel.

Schefter also hinted at a strong market for Samuel before the receiver was dealt.

"I think that there is a market for Deebo Samuel that's probably a little bit stronger than people thought it would be," Schefter told the Pardon My Take podcast (h/t Joe Clark of Steelers Depo).

With Samuel headed to Washington, Houston, Denver, Pittsburgh, Denver and any other franchises that might have been lurking in the Samuel sweepstakes will now need to look elsewhere for receiver help.

That could mean placing a call to Los Angeles or making receiver a priority in free agency. In Houston's case, it could also lead to another run with Stefon Diggs, who was acquired in a 2024 offseason trade but suffered a torn ACL after eight games.

Winners: Receivers Headed to Free Agency

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Kupp remains available via a trade, but the 2025 receiver market is already beginning to shrink. Samuel is off the table, and he may not be the only one by the time we reach March 10.

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins—who was the second-ranked free agent on Bleacher Report's post-Super Bowl big board—might have a new deal in place or receive the franchise tag before Tuesday's deadline.

"With the possibility of the franchise tag being placed on Tee Higgins, I was told Bengals decision-makers are stressing the need to get a long-term deal done with 26-year-old," The Athletic's Dianna Russini wrote.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also looking to extend Chris Godwin, the 13th-ranked player on B/R's free-agent board.

"Hopefully, we can come to an agreement with him because Chris means the world to this organization," general manager Jason Licht said, per ESPN's Jenn Laine.

None of this is ideal for receiver-needy teams, but it could be great for wideouts who reach the open market. We saw several receivers, including Mike Evans, Michael Pittman Jr. and Higgins, get new deals or the franchise tag ahead of 2024 free agency. This led to some inflated contracts in March.

Calvin Ridley, for example, landed a four-year, $92 million contract as one of the "marquee" receivers in the 2024 market.

Teams that were interested in Samuel missed out. As a result, though, impending free-agent receivers like Diggs, Darius Slayton, Amari Cooper and Mack Hollins could benefit financially.

*Cap and contract information via Spotrac