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49ers Receive "B" Grade for Trading Deebo Samuel to Commanders

Trading Deebo Samuel to the Commanders was the biggest move the 49ers made this offseason.
Grant Cohn|
Dec 30, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (1) before the game against the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
Dec 30, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (1) before the game against the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

Trading Deebo Samuel to the Commanders was the biggest move the 49ers made this offseason.

They didn't sign anyone significant. Mostly, they signed backups and special teams players. But trading Samuel was bold considering he had been such an integral part of their offense for years.

Recently, NFL.com gave the 49ers a "B" grade for this trade. Here's their analysis:

"In a world where pick swaps have become en vogue, snagging a fifth-round choice while dumping salary isn't a bad return for a player who might have been outright released if the Niners had found no takers," writes NFL Network Analyst Kevin Patra.

"Samuel struggled last year, posting the lowest yards-per-touch mark (8.7) of his career, and the team seemed to sour on the situation. With the club apparently aiming to get its books in order after several seasons of spending big, Samuel always looked like a target to be moved.

"Kyle Shanahan has pieces to help fill the void -- presuming they can stay healthy. The key is Ricky Pearsall, who showed big-time flashes down the stretch as a rookie. He won't be blocked by costlier teammates from the jump in Year 2."

Personally, I would give the 49ers an "A" for this trade. Samuel was a malcontent last season seemingly because he had become the fourth-option in the passing game behind George Kittle, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall. Samuel will not accept a role as a fourth banana, and he doesn't deserve third or second banana status anymore. So releasing him would have been a good move. Trading him for a fifth-round pick is a phenomenal move.

Now, the Commanders will have to worry about keeping him happy.

Good luck with that.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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