The San Francisco 49ers’ Deebo Samuel is getting his wish to be traded.
The 49ers are set to deal the one-time All Pro and Pro Bowl wide receiver to the Washington Commanders for a fifth-round draft pick, multiple media outlets reported on Saturday.
Trades cannot be made official until the league’s new year opens on March 12.
The Commanders are to pay Samuel’s 2025 salary of $17.55 million, and the 49ers will absorb more than $31 million of dead money on the coming year’s salary cap, ESPN reported.
Samuel, no stranger to contract disputes with San Francisco, said on Super Bowl Sunday that he wanted to be dealt. He had made a similar demand after his dominant 2001 season, when he had 1,405 yards receiving, 365 rushing and 14 touchdowns overall.
Niners general manager John Lynch said at the combine that the team would work on trading him, and gave Samuel and agent Tory Dandy permission to hunt for an interested team.
The Commanders, who exploded to a 12-5 season under rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and advanced to the NFC Championship Game, have prior links to Samuel, 29.
Washington’s run game coordinator, Anthony Lynn, was the Niners’ assistant head coach and running backs coach in 2022-23. Also, Commanders second-year general manager Adam Peters served as San Francisco’s vice president of player personnel when the Niners drafted Samuel in the second round (36th overall) out of South Carolina in 2019.
Hit hard by injuries, the 49ers limped to a 6-11 finish, which included losses in seven of their last eight games.
Samuel dealt with rib and calf injuries but played in 15 games, all starts. He made 51 catches for 670 yards, had 42 carries for 136 yards and a total of four touchdowns.
–Field Level Media
