Deebo Samuel, 49ers Agree to Contract in NFL Free Agency, Updated Salary Cap, Depth Chart

Deebo Samuel is heading back to the San Francisco 49ers.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the wide receiver agreed to a one-year contract worth up to $7 million with San Francisco after spending the 2025 season with the Washington Commanders.

Tory Dandy of Athlete's First got the deal done.

Before the Samuel signing, the 49ers had $71.2 million in cap space for the 2026 season, per Over the Cap. It's unclear what Samuel's cap number will be, but the 49ers have more than enough room to handle this deal.

The Samuel news dropped after word emerged via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area during an interview of KNBR that wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who is dealing with swelling of the PCL in his right knee, could potentially miss all of 2026.

Here's a look at the offensive depth chart (two-deep), per Ourlads, in addition to how the wideout room may look with Samuel and without Pearsall.

	Starter	Backup
QB	Brock Purdy	Mac Jones
RB	Christian McCaffrey	Jordan James
FB	Kyle Juszczyk
WR	Mike Evans	De'Zhaun Stribling
WR	Deebo Samuel	Jordan Watkins
WR	Christian Kirk	Jacob Cowing
LT	Trent Williams	Austen Pleasants
LG	Connor Colby	Carver Willis
C	Jake Brendel	Brett Toth
RG	Dominick Puni	Robert Jones
RT	Colton McKivitz	Enrique Cruz Jr.

Samuel, a second-round pick in 2019, spent the first six years of his career with the San Francisco 49ers, where he established himself as a solid, versatile receiver. He put together an All-Pro campaign in 2021 when he recorded a career-high 1,405 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

Samuel's first stint in San Francisco came to an end ahead of the 2025 season when he was traded to the Commanders in return for a fifth-round pick.

In 16 games with the Commanders, Samuel recorded 72 receptions for 727 yards and five touchdowns, all of which led the team. He proved to be an integral part of the offense since Washington's No. 1 receiver option, Terry McLaurin, played just 10 games because of injuries.

With McLaurin and other key players dealing with injuries throughout the year, the Commanders finished the season 5-12 after reaching the NFC championship in 2024.

Samuel, now 30, has been a valuable receiver throughout his career, and he'll look to continue that trend again in San Francisco.