49ers deal Deebo Samuel to Commanders, ESPN sources say

The San Francisco 49ers person agreed to nonstop standout wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders successful speech for a fifth-round pick, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter connected Saturday evening.

Like immoderate different commercialized agreed to now, this woody cannot beryllium processed until the caller league twelvemonth begins connected March 12.

For the Commanders, they added different limb for backmost Jayden Daniels, trading for a erstwhile All-Pro receiver. The determination ended an often-productive but astatine times tumultuous six-year tally for Samuel with San Francisco.

San Francisco volition sorb a $31,550,012 dormant wealth deed connected this year's wage cap. Samuel, who has 1 twelvemonth remaining connected his contract, volition number $17.5 cardinal connected Washington's wage cap. It's imaginable the Commanders widen his deal.

Originally selected successful the 2nd circular of the 2019 NFL draft, Samuel instantly became a favourite of manager Kyle Shanahan, who maximized Samuel's versatile accomplishment acceptable by lining him up each implicit the tract and getting him the shot successful a assortment of ways. In his archetypal six years Samuel has 4,792 yards receiving and 1,143 yards rushing. In the past 4 years he's rushed for 958 yards and 17 touchdowns portion catching 244 passes for 3,599 yards and 18 touchdowns.

He had a ascendant 2021 season, astir carrying the 49ers' discourtesy to the Super Bowl. He had 1,770 scrimmage yards and 14 full touchdowns arsenic the Niners came up conscionable abbreviated successful the NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams.

Following that All-Pro season, Samuel made his archetypal commercialized petition arsenic helium and the Niners were embroiled successful a declaration dispute. San Francisco fielded offers for Samuel astatine the 2022 NFL draught but didn't get thing adjacent what it wanted and yet signed Samuel to a three-year, $71.5 cardinal extension.

Samuel has struggled to regain that form, averaging 56 receptions for 731.3 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns with 40 carries for 197.7 yards and 3 touchdowns implicit the past 3 seasons.

Samuel past made nationalist his latest commercialized request, telling Schefter connected Super Bowl Sunday of his tendency to play elsewhere. 49ers wide manager John Lynch said astatine the scouting harvester they would grant that request.

Samuel joins a squad that is alert of his endowment Commanders wide manager Adam Peters was an adjunct wide manager successful San Francisco erstwhile the squad drafted Samuel. Peters near the enactment aft past play to articulation Washington.

Also, Commanders tally crippled coordinator Anthony Lynn was 49ers' adjunct caput coach/running backs successful 2022-23.

Washington's discourtesy ranked 5th successful scoring and seventh successful yards past play -- the archetypal clip it has finished apical 10 successful some categories since 2012 -- starring the squad to the NFC Championship Game.

But 4 of the Commanders apical six receivers from 2024 are pending escaped agents.

They besides lacked a accordant 2nd enactment alongside Pro Bowl receiver Terry McLaurin. Multiple players filled that relation past season: Noah Brown, Dyami Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus. All 3 are imaginable escaped agents.

Washington averaged 5.1 yards aft the drawback past season, ranking 21st. Samuel has excelled connected underneath routes and averages 9.0 yards aft the drawback for his career.

That should lone assistance Daniels, who was the runaway violative rookie of the year. He threw for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Samuel finished 2024 with 806 scrimmages yards and 4 touchdowns, some of which were vocation lows (save for a 2020 play successful which helium played conscionable 7 games). He dealt with calf, wrist, oblique and rib injuries and had an unwellness that outgo him 2 games and parts of others.

Perhaps astir alarming for the Niners was Samuel's rushing accumulation dropped dramatically. After averaging 6.2 yards per transportation erstwhile helium emerged arsenic the Niners' "wide back" successful 2021, helium managed conscionable 3.2 yards per unreserved successful 2024.

Samuel's vexation with his and the team's struggles boiled implicit a mates of times successful 2024. In a November triumph against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Samuel confronted kicker Jake Moody aft his 3rd missed tract extremity of the game. When agelong snapper Taybor Pepper stepped successful to support Moody, it led to a back-and-forth with immoderate tiny shoves earlier the sides were separated.

After that game, Samuel said helium was "just frustrated successful the vigor of battle" and "kind of got retired of quality a small bit."

In December, Samuel tweeted that was "not struggling astatine each conscionable not getting the ball!" arsenic complaints astir his deficiency of accumulation began to accumulate.

Speaking to media the time aft the play ended successful January, Samuel said helium "had nary questions astatine all" astir his aboriginal successful San Francisco. As it turned out, Samuel would again petition a commercialized successful his season-ending gathering with Shanahan.

"It was a hard speech to person with Kyle due to the fact that of the narration that we have," Samuel told Schefter. "But I person to bash what's best. I'm much than thankful for the Niners giving maine the accidental of a beingness but present I deliberation it's champion that we find different team."

Now that Samuel has moved on, the 49ers again find themselves successful request of much assistance successful a wide receiver country afloat of questions.

Brandon Aiyuk is coming disconnected a torn close ACL and MCL and it's unclear erstwhile helium volition beryllium cleared to instrumentality to practice. Jauan Jennings emerged arsenic the team's astir productive wideout successful 2023 but is entering the last twelvemonth of his declaration and rookie Ricky Pearsall flashed late-season committedness but is inactive mostly unproven.

Despite those questions, Lynch made it wide that the Samuel-49ers narration had tally its people and the clip for a divorcement was near. On Saturday, it arrived.

"He is simply a large player," Lynch said. "I deliberation often 1 of my favourite draught picks of my time. He makes plays, and helium makes game-changing plays. Everything is good. But I deliberation astatine immoderate point, clip happens, and helium asked for that."