Trading Deebo Samuel is a Win for the 49ers

The 49ers take on a lot of dead money by trading Deebo Samuel to the Commanders. Yet, it is still a win for the 49ers. Here is why.

December 30, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (1) celebrates scoring a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

After a month that the request became public, the 49ers successfully traded Deebo Samuel.

He is now the new wide receiver for the Commanders. The 49ers get a fifth-round pick in exchange for Samuel, which is exactly where his value projected to be.

Best part of all, the 49ers were able to get the Commanders to take all of Samuel's salary for this year. Trading Samuel seemed extremely unlikely, especially when teams know they can wait for him to get cut.

Releasing Samuel looked inevitable. Yet, the 49ers were able to find a trade partner. It is kind of a surprise with how it played out in the 49ers' favor. That is why trading Samuel is a win for the 49ers.

He was supposed to be released. The odds of trading him were incredibly low. The 49ers would incur $31.5 million of dead money in a trade, which they could've spread out over two years if they cut him.

That isn't an enticing move at first glance. Not to mention what the 49ers would get in return for him. It didn't seem worth it all to trade him, and it was questionable if any team would want him.

But all it takes is one team. The Commanders stepped in with General Manager Adam Peters (former 49ers executive) leading the charge. They have a ton of salary cap space to ease the burden of his 2025 salary cap hit.

And surrendering a fifth-round pick is nothing to the Commanders. They are a top playoff contender now. So, acquiring Samuel makes all the sense in the world for them.

Just like it makes sense for the 49ers to trade Samuel. Taking the $31.5 million of dead money all this year is brutal, but I like the "get it over with" mentality.

Again, the 49ers looked dead set to release Samuel and they got a fifth-round pick and some cash off of their books. That is like selling your old clothes for some money when you're about to donate it.

In my book, that's a win regardless of the dead money and the draft capital received.

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