49ers Successfully Find a Trade Partner for Deebo Samuel

Just when a trade wasn't looking likely, the 49ers manage to send Deebo Samuel off.

Oct 27, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr (1) carries the ball against the Dallas Cowboys during the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The divorce is a success.

The 49ers are trading Deebo Samuel to the Commanders in exchange for a fifth-round pick. Washington is the perfect situation for Samuel. They get their veteran receiver to pair up with Jayden Daniels and compliment Terry McLaurin.

Commanders General Manager Adam Peters was also with the 49ers when Samuel was drafted, so the connection makes a lot of sense. It seemed as if the 49ers were doomed to release Samuel.

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The #49ers are trading star WR Deebo Samuel to the #Commanders for draft pick compensation, sources say.

Samuel, due $21.7M this year, now heads to join former SF exec Adam Peters and play with QB Jayden Daniels, who gets another weapon. pic.twitter.com/h9Ku5U6uX1

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 1, 2025

The Commanders could've waited for him and not given up a fifth-round pick. But it appears they don't want to allow him to reach free agency and lock him in now.

Samuel and the 49ers get the divorce they wanted. The writing has been on the wall for nearly a year now. It started during the 2024 NFL draft when the 49ers were open to trading Samuel.

That only cemented after they drafted Ricky Pearsall in the first-round. He has a similar style to Samuel but is drastically better as a route runner.

Samuel's six-year tenure with the 49ers officially comes to a close. It doesn't end well after Samuel played horridly and demonstrated to be incapable of being a leader on a 6-11 team.

Still, Samuel should be remembered for the magical season he had in 2021. That year he practically had 1,000 receiving yards after the first half of the season, then switched to being a running back.

He carried the 49ers that year to the playoffs. It's easily one of the best seasons from a 49ers player in recent memory. The only regret the 49ers should have is not trading him last year.

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