NFL Trade Rumors
This late into the offseason, it’s a little odd that Deebo Samuel has yet to find a landing spot. A second-round pick out of South Carolina by the 49ers in 2017, he blossomed into a star in San Francisco, peaking in 2021 with 77 receptions for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns.
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For a while, Samuel was one of the most dominant and versatile offensive players in the league, even getting some carries out of the backfield. He’s never been able to match the highs of his 2021 campaign, though, with just the one 1,000-yard season under his belt. After a 2024 season in which he had just 51 receptions for 670 yards and three touchdowns, the 49ers chose to move off his money and traded him to the Commanders.
The idea was for Washington to pair him with Terry McLaurin and add some offensive firepower fresh off a run to the NFC Championship Game. That never materialized for a lot of reasons, but Samuel was solid, posting 72 receptions for 721 yards and five touchdowns. The Commanders chose to move on from him this offseason, forcing Samuel to find a new team for the second time in as many offseasons.
So far, no one’s biting. But it would be a surprise if he simply didn’t play in 2026. He’ll find a new landing spot, probably on a one-year deal in the $8 million range.
Samuel, 30, is a former second-round pick of the 49ers out of South Carolina back in 2019. He was entering the fourth year of a four-year, $7,697,356 rookie contract that included a $3,618,076 signing bonus when he signed a three-year, $71.5 extension with $58.1 million guaranteed.
He was due a little over $17 million in the final year of that deal in 2025 but was traded to the Commanders before the 2025 season. He played out that deal and has been testing the market as an unrestricted free agent.
In 2025, Samuel appeared in 16 games for the Commanders and caught 72 passes on 99 targets for 727 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed 17 times for 75 yards and a touchdown and returned 15 kicks for 452 yards.
We have him included in our Top 100 Available NFL Free Agents list.
Who will Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza be throwing the ball to? The Raiders drafted Mendoza No. 1 overall, signed Cousins to open the season as the starter to keep Mendoza from being thrown to the wolves right away, and reset the center market to add Tyler Linderbaum in free agency. They’re working overtime to provide Mendoza with the right environment, and TE Brock Bowers and RB Ashton Jeanty already form a strong foundation of skill talent.
But wide receiver is still a glaring weakness on this team. Tre Tucker broke out down the stretch last season, but he still has just 1,566 receiving yards in his three-year career. We’ll see if that was just...
