Forget being king; it’s pretty sweet to be Washington receiver Deebo Samuel right now.
Not only did he get traded out of what appears to be a growing mess in San Francisco – we don’t like to say that, but from outward appearances, that’s certainly what it looks like – but he got traded to an up-and-coming playoff contender, with a young quarterback (Jayden Daniels) in a very winnable division.
Deebo should go out and buy a lottery ticket.
Maybe five or six. Or 10.
The Commanders traded only a fifth-round pick in this April’s NFL Draft for Samuel, taking advantage of the 49ers’ contract woes and spending cutbacks to bring in one of the league’s best weapons.
Has his production fallen off a bit since his career year in 2021? Yes, no question, and maybe the Niners were being proactive.
But if Samuel is a shell of himself and produces three-fourths of the numbers he did in ’21, it could be enough to land Washington some really big things.
The Commanders know that. And they want to keep Samuel happy. So they re-worked the final year of his contract on Wednesday, guaranteeing $17 million of it, plus adding on $3 million in incentives that Samuel could very well achieve in what was an impressive offense last season.
Samuel had been contracted to make just over $16.6 million.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the deal, which may or may not come up on Thursday, when Samuel is slated to meet with members of the Washington-area media.
In six seasons, all with the 49ers, Samuel has caught 334 passes for 4,792 yards (14.3 yards a catch) and has 22 touchdowns. What makes him special, though, is his abilities as a “slash” player, not only all of those catches at his given position of receiver, but also his ability to help run the ball. He has 1,143 career rushing yards.
Last year, Samuel finished with 51 catches for 670 yards and just three touchdowns, however, and ran for only 136 yards and a touchdown on 42 carries. That’s likely what the Niners would point out.
Which Deebo will Washington see? We’ll find out.
