Winners, Losers from Deebo Samuel trade between San Francisco 49ers, Washington Commanders

All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel floated in NFL rumors for weeks with the San Francisco 49ers looking to find a new home for their standout offensive weapon. On Friday night, as reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Samuel was traded to the Washington Commanders. While the deal won’t be official until the start of the new NFL league year, we can examine the winners and losers from the deal.

Winner: Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders

Deebo Samuel trade, Washington Commanders — Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Washington entered the offseason wanting to find another offensive weapon to pair with Terry McLaurin to support Jayden McDaniels. Tee Higgins would’ve been perfect, but he’s getting franchise-tagged. Chris Godwin was the second-best option, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are determined to keep him. So, Washington went out and landed Deebo Samuel to help out the franchise quarterback.

Samuel obviously isn’t a typical receiver and he’s shown signs of regression over the last year. However, he had the 14th-most yards after catch (421) last season and led his position in juke rate (26.9 percent). McLaurin will be Daniels’ deep threat with Samuel offering an easy target on quick throws for a quarterback who had the fifth-highest rate (19.7 percent) of passes behind the line of scrimmage last season. Samuel is the kind of secondary offensive weapon Daniels didn’t have last year and it will make this passing game even more difficult to stop.

Loser: San Francisco 49ers

Deebo Samuel trade, San Francisco 49ers — Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

We’re not specifically knocking the San Francisco 49ers here for moving on from Samuel, their salary-cap situation forced the team’s hand. Quite frankly, getting anything for him in a trade this offseason is technically a win for the 49ers front office. The problem for San Francisco, beyond the lost cap space, is the value they lost out on. Two years ago, 49ers general manager John Lynch was offered the 10th overall pick and a pick swap for Samuel and last offseason clubs offered Day 2 picks for the All-Pro offensive weapon. The 49ers held onto him a year too long and they are paying the price for it.

Deebo Samuel trade: $15.1 million lost in cap space for the San Francisco 49ers

Winner: Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters

It would be a mistake to even imply that Samuel can still play at an All-Pro level at this point in his career. However, Washington isn’t expecting that. Trading a fifth-round pick for Samuel mitigates the risk of this move, with the reward of Samuel’s skillset. Commanders general manager Adam Peters – who crushed his first offseason with the team last year – just added a versatile playmaker who offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury can move all over the formation. Washington can easily afford to absorb Samuel’s cap hit, further reducing the risks with this deal, too. Peters saw the team’s need for an underneath weapon who could make some plays after the catch and he filled the void, all at the cost of a Day 3 pick.

Loser: Los Angeles Rams

Why are the Los Angeles Rams losers in the Deebo Samuel trade? Because one potential suitor who was willing to absorb the Cooper Kupp contract just got taken off the board. Kupp does have a trade market, but teams like the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans already signaled they’d be patient. If Houston and Denver were willing to wait for the 49ers to release Samuel, it’s reasonable to assume the same approach will be taken by clubs interested in Kupp. Maybe Los Angeles can squeeze a sixth-round pick swap out of a team in a Kupp trade, but that’s no guarantee. A March cut seems likelier than ever.

Winner: Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers

There’s a reason the 49ers spent a first-round pick on Ricky Pearsall. He didn’t get a ton of opportunities in 2024 – 31 receptions, 400 yards and 3 touchdowns – but he showed something late in the year. With the 49ers’ year over, Pearsall became a focal point of the offense and totaled 14 receptions for 210 yards and 2 touchdowns in his final two games as a rookie. With Samuel out of the picture and Brandon Aiyuk still recovering from an ACL tear, Pearsall gets to operate as the No. 1 receiver in training camp. That will strengthen his rapport with Brock Purdy and put Pearsall in a great position for a breakout season in 2025.