Things have seemingly gone from bad to worse for Deebo Samuel and the San Francisco 49ers. The former Pro Bowl wide receiver is coming off his fewest yards from scrimmage since 2020 and most recently has been granted permission to seek a trade from the organization.
Samuel is entering the final season of a three-year, $71.5 million contract he signed and carries a dead cap hit of over $31 million. This essentially rules out the possibility of cutting him, as that would be a huge amount of money for San Francisco to eat. Instead, it will take a team wanting to take on his contract, as well as a change of scenery, to revive Samuel’s play.
While there are no odds directly made available yet regarding his future landing spot, a changing of rosters for Deebo Samuel will surely have some impact on the futures market on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here is a look at five teams who should consider taking a chance on the 29-year-old.
Top 5 Deebo Samuel Trade Destinations
5. Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders exceeded expectations more than any team in the NFL last season. After selecting Jayden Daniels with the second pick in last year’s draft, their organizational outlook greatly changed. The Commanders won two games in the playoffs before being eliminated by the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles in the Conference Championship.
They will now look to build off this as a continual playoff threat. Adding Deebo Samuel would be a major step in accomplishing this. Currently, five Commanders wide receivers are set to enter free agency including Dyami Brown, Noah Brown, and K.J. Osborn. While Terry McLaurin has continued to produce regardless of who is throwing him the football, it has been a bit of a revolving door of talent lined up on the opposite side of him. Adding Samuel would provide Jayden Daniels with a legitimate high-caliber wide receiver duo to elevate this offense to new heights.
With over $80 million in cap space, this would be the type of win-now move made to reward their star quarterback for his production and catapult themselves to legitimacy. Samuel’s ability as a runner could also add some interesting dimensions to the Commanders’ offense. It will be interesting to see how they prioritize building out the team from here after such an impressive season but don’t rule out Washington making this type of splash.
Currently, the Commanders hold +950 odds of winning the NFC, the fourth best in the conference, and +1800 of winning the Super Bowl next year on DraftKings Sportsbook.
4. Los Angeles Chargers
Jim Harbaugh took his first steps in turning around the Chargers’ organization last year and successfully led them to the playoffs. They have established an identity as a defensive-minded and run-oriented team, but must upgrade at the skill positions if they want to fully leap into the contending conversations in a difficult AFC.
Ladd McConkey shined in his rookie season, but there was not much else production there from the Chargers’ pass catchers. Quentin Johnston’s drop issues popped up at some inopportune times, and Los Angeles needed significant production from the tight ends for their offense to function properly. While Justin Herbert will have to face his playoff demons himself if the Chargers are to grow the way they hope, upgrading at wide receiver by bringing in a talent like Deebo Samuel would be a step in the right direction. Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman also had some great success with Anquan Boldin in the past, and Samuel can fill a similar role and style.
Los Angeles holds +1200 odds of winning the AFC, the fifth-best odds on DraftKings Sportsbook, and +2800 odds of winning the Super Bowl next season.
3. New England Patriots
With Mike Vrabel taking over as head coach and Drake Maye showing some really positive signs in his rookie season, this year will begin a new era of football in New England. Wide receivers will be near the top of the list of priorities for the Patriots this offseason. Even with the positive flashes from Drake Maye, Hunter Henry led all Patriots pass catchers with just 674 receiving yards last year, and no player caught more than three touchdowns.
New England will have the most cap space in the league and would be wise to be aggressive in using it. They need a legit number one wide receiver and probably a number two as well. While attacking the free-agent market will be Plan A, don’t be shocked if a low asking price for Samuel could sway them to get involved. Expect the Patriots’ roster to look drastically different when the season is set to kick off. Don’t be shocked if Samuel is a part of this.
The Patriots currently hold +4000 odds of winning the AFC and +8000 odds of winning the Super Bowl on DraftKings Sportsbook. It will take some notable roster movement for the Patriots to climb from their 23rd-best odds of winning the championship and expect some significant shakeups.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers have quite a few questions to answer this offseason. At the top of this will be who will be taking snaps under center next year. Neither Russell Wilson nor Justin Fields were exactly what the Steelers were hoping for last season, even if the production level of both was higher than had been the case in a few years. Regardless of who is serving as the team’s quarterback, Pittsburgh could use some upgrades at the skill positions, and Deebo Samuel would be an interesting addition.
George Pickens has all the talent (and personality) of a number-one wide receiver, but Mike Williams, Van Jefferson, and Ben Skowronek will each be free agents. In addition, Najee Harris will hit the open market and have a chance to walk. While Samuel will be viewed primarily as a wide receiver moving forward, he would provide some value as a running back, and it should be noted that Harris’ lack of explosiveness has been more limiting to the Steelers’ offense than is sometimes acknowledged.
If there is a team that jumps immediately at the opportunity to trade for Deebo Samuel, expect the Steelers to be stuck on the sideline as they face the larger questions impacting their future. However, if Samuel remains available deeper into the offseason, don’t be shocked if he is wearing black and yellow stripes when the season starts next year.
The Steelers currently hold +3000 odds of winning the AFC on DraftKings Sportsbook and +6500 of winning the championship.
1. Buffalo Bills
My favorite destination for Deebo Samuel is on the Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen was once again unable to slay the gold standard of the NFL, falling short to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the playoffs. While Buffalo’s defense leaves plenty to be desired and must be improved this offseason, the lack of wide receiver production last year was noteworthy. Keon Coleman showed some nice flashes in his rookie season, while Khalil Shakir led the team in receiving. They made a mid-season trade for Amari Cooper, but the five-time Pro Bowler tallied just 20 receptions in the eight games he played and will now be a free agent.
Kansas City will continue to be the roadblock in Buffalo’s way of accomplishing their postseason goals. This will not change for the remainder of Josh Allen’s career, and their best chance is to continue tinkering with the players around him and hope he has his moment at some point in the future. Mahomes continues to reside in a tier of his own, but Allen is just about as close to an equal as you will find.
Samuel has played in four Conference Championships and two Super Bowls already in his career. Buffalo must do something to improve their outlook, and they very well could look at Samuel as the type of difference-maker the franchise needs. There continues to be a void in wide receiver production left by Stefon Diggs and Samuel would be an interesting addition. The Bills must do everything possible to give Josh Allen a true chance to compete, and Samuel would expand this pathway.
Heading into the offseason, the Bills are tied with the Chiefs as favorites to win the AFC at +350 odds and +700 odds of winning the Super Bowl.
