Hogs Haven
The Washington Commanders have one year with Deebo Samuel to see if he's in their future plans
The Washington Commanders were one of the surprise teams of the 2024 season, riding a strong rookie campaign from quarterback Jayden Daniels into an NFC Championship Game appearance.
Now, looking to capitalize on Daniels’ rookie contract, the Commanders are pushing their chips forward in hopes of contending once again in 2024.
Bolstering their receiving corps, they traded a Day 3 pick for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel back in March, giving Terry McLaurin a strong No. 2 to work with.
Samuel, 29, caught just 51 passes for 670 yards and three touchdowns in 2024, while rushing for a career-low 3.2 yards per carry. He has just one year remaining on his deal, which the Commanders re-worked after the trade to give the wideout more guaranteed money.
Now, the Commanders are already dealing with a contract situation, as Terry McLaurin was previously holding out in search of an extension. But, that seems to be trending in the right direction with McLaurin now reporting for training camp.
With Daniels still on his rookie deal, it’s sensible for the Commanders to build a strong core of weapons around him and look to push for a Super Bowl. Given their situation at wide receiver behind McLaurin and Samuel, it’s not out of the question that both could remain in Washington going forward.
So, what could a potential extension for Samuel look like?
Samuel is entering the final year of a three-year, $71.55 million deal he signed with the 49ers back ahead of the 2022 season.
To guarantee the wideout more money after trading for him, the Commanders converted his salary into a signing bonus and stretched that over five years, creating four void years. So, if Samuel does walk in free agency next offseason, Washington would take on a $12.3 million dead cap hit, making it more plausible they look to retain him on an extension.
Given his age and recent production, there aren’t as many deals across the NFL that could be good comparisons for Samuel. But, let’s look at some potential options.
Off the bat, Courtland Sutton’s recent four-year, $92 million deal with $41 million guaranteed is intriguing. Sutton is coming off a strong season, but is in a similar situation as a top receiver for a rookie quarterback. Now, there are differences, as Samuel is the No. 2 receiver, while also coming off a down year, but the impact is still there as a versatile option.
A better comparison could be Cooper Kupp, who signed a three-year, $45 million deal this offseason with the Seattle Seahawks. Kupp is two years older than Samuel, but he’s on a similar trajectory, posting seasons of 812, 737, and 710 receiving yards over the last three years.
Samuel likely won’t get a three- or four-year extension at this stage of his...
