On Friday, Washington Commanders and San Francisco 49ers veteran Deebo Samuel officially became a free agent, and the New York Giants need to seriously consider signing him in NFL free agency.
A few years ago, Sameul emerged as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Not only was he a talented pass catcher for the 49ers, but the team developed him into a dual-threat. During his Pro Bowl season in 2021, not only did he post 1,405 receiving yards, but he also rushed for 365 more on 59 carries.
Then, injury woes started to become the biggest story in the 2019 second-round picks’ careers. He missed games consistently over the next four seasons, and when he was on the field, he was hampered by whatever issues he was playing through. It’s why he came nowhere close to 1,000 receiving yards in those seasons.
A strong case could be made that at 30, his best days are behind him. On Friday, his restructured contract with the Commanders voided, and he will officially hit free agency next month. However, he will be lucky if he can get a deal for as much as he made in 2025, which was $17.5 million.
Despite some down years recently, a potential discount rate for the receiver is why the NY Giants must seriously consider pursuing him on the open market next month.
Why NY Giants should pursue Deebo Samuel in free agency
There is a lot of hope surrounding the NY Giants heading into the 2026 season. After the disastrous run of Brian Daboll, the organization hired one-time Super Bowl winner and one of the best coaches of the last decade, John Harbaugh, to guide the team back to relevance.
Over the last couple of weeks, the team has hired not one, but two former head coaches to improve the offense next season when they added Matt Nagy and Brian Callahan to the staff. If they can’t get Samuel back somewhere close to the player he once was, then it just won’t happen. It is worth a try if the price is right.
Samuel wouldn’t be here to be the team’s No. 1 receiver. Even coming off an ACL tear, that is Malik Nabers‘ spot until further notice. They need more weapons for young QB Jaxson Dart, whether they re-sign receiver Wan’Dale Robinson or not.
If the NY Giants can get Samuel on a deal below $15 million annually, he could be an impact player for them at a reasonable rate.
