The first dominos of the NFL offseason are beginning to fall with Deebo Samuel being traded from the San Francisco 49ers to the Washington Commanders. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was the first to report.
It should be noted that this trade will not be made official until the new league year begins on Wednesday, March 12th. This marks the first trade of the 2025 NFL offseason with Samuel costing the Commanders a fifth-round pick to bring over.
49ers Perspective:
The trade buzz was loud regarding Deebo Samuel for quite some time. The disgruntled star had a down season, recording 860 yards from scrimmage and six total touchdowns, which marked his fewest since the 2020 season. His trade request, which reportedly occurred during his end-of-season meeting, felt inevitable after San Francisco drafted Ricky Pearsall with the 31st pick in last year’s draft and gave extensions to Jauan Jenning and Brandon Aiyuk.
The biggest hurdles to clear in this situation had to do with finances. Samuel is entering the final year of his contract and San Francisco is taking on over a $31.55 million dead cap by moving on from him. It was important for this to be done before March 22nd when a $15.4 million bonus was set to be on the table.
Injuries were the story of the 49ers’ season but it is a hard sell for just a fully healthy season to be all it takes for them to get back on track for their Super Bowl aspirations. While Samuel’s talent is clear, there comes a point where the baggage of the personality is not worth the production on the field. San Francisco looks to have come to this conclusion and will take on the fifth-round pick as their prize in this deal.
San Francisco currently holds +650 odds of winning the NFC next year, the third-best odds, and +1400 odds of winning the Super Bowl, the sixth-best odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Commanders Perspective:
The Washington Commanders were the biggest success story of this NFL season with Jayden Daniels changing the outlook of the franchise completely. The Rookie of the Year elevated the offense beyond what most thought possible and took Washington all the way to the NFC Championship game. This marked the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2020 and the first time winning a playoff game since 2005.
Outside of Terry McLaurin, Washington was limited in the amount of weapons at the skill position. This move will be looked at as a reward for Daniels’ strong season and an attempt to provide him with the caliber of talent to solidify them as contenders. It will be interesting to see how Washington uses Samuel’s unique skillset, but it is clear they are loading up for another playoff run. The Commanders have officially arrived back in NFL relevance and this is the type of move with the intent to keep them there.
Currently, Washington holds the fourth-best odds of winning the NFC at +850 and the eight-best odds of winning the Super Bowl at +1900 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
