The San Francisco 49ers crossed a big item off their checklist when they traded Deebo Samuel on March 1. Samuel had requested a trade during his exit meetings after the season, and the two sides couldn’t amend the relationship before sending him to the Washington Commanders in exchange for a fifth-round pick.
The deal was surprising, as a fifth-round pick seems low for a former All-Pro receiver – albeit one who had his best year back in 2021. But a report revealed that the 49ers made concessions to make the trade happen, and it shows just how much they wanted to move on from Samuel ahead of next season.
49ers Backed Down from Initial Asking Price for Deebo Samuel
According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the 49ers initially asked teams for a fourth-round pick in exchange for Samuel. But the lack of a market forced general manager John Lynch to back down from his asking price and eventually settle for the fifth-round pick instead.
“John Lynch spoke with several teams. He was looking for a fourth-rounder,” Russini said on her “Scoop City” podcast. “But in the end, he settled with the fifth round 2025 pick with the Commanders.”
Russini had previously reported that Samuel was interested in playing for the Commanders but also had the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans on his list of preferred destinations. But the Texans and Broncos didn’t make an offer, and Washington general manager Adam Peters swooped in based on his background knowledge after spending time with the 49ers as vice president of personnel from 2017-2020 and assistant general manager from 2021-2023.
“He scouted Deebo out of college, right? He knew everything about him,” Russini said. “He obviously has trust in him. He believes in some type of skill set that he could bring to [Jayden Daniels].”
That belief may have been why Washington made an even better offer than the one that San Francisco agreed upon and was also willing to take on Samuel’s final $17.4 million cap number for next season. But it also may have been why the trade went through as Lynch was working on a deadline.
The 49ers already had to eat $31.55 million in dead money by trading Samuel, but that number would have jumped to $47 million if they didn’t trade him before, an option bonus was due on March 22. Without the ability to wait for another team to get involved, Lynch was best served coming down from his initial asking price and taking the deal on the table.
Time will tell if this was the correct decision but Samuel is now a Commander and the 49ers can turn their attention to the rest of their to do list.