Deebo Samuel is known to be on the trade market, and the 49ers are prepared to honor his request to be moved. A pair of serious serious suitors have emerged. 
The Commanders and Texans have shown “significant interest” in acquiring Samuel in recent days, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports. He adds that talks have progressed at the Combine, meaning an agreement could soon be in place. While other teams could find themselves in play, Washington and Houston have been the most aggressive to date, per Schultz.
Both teams represent logical suitors for a veteran receiver addition. Washington has 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels attached to his initial NFL contract through at least 2027, giving the team a window of opportunity to make a strong push in terms of acquisitions this offseason. Bringing in a secondary option to complement Terry McLaurin is known to be on the Commanders’ radar.
McLaurin is only on the books for one more year, and none of his 2025 base salary ($15.5MM) is guaranteed. An extension could be on tap as a result, and Washington could stand to make a number of additions on the defensive side of the ball during free agency and the draft this spring. Still, adding a wideout with a stronger track record than the likes of Dyami Brown, Olamide Zaccheaus, Luke McCaffrey or Noah Brown – the latter of whom wants to re-sign – would be feasible.
Just like the Commanders, the Texans have the benefit of an affordable high-end quarterback under team control for years to come in the former of C.J. Stroud. Houston assembled a strong trio atop the WR depth chart last year, acquiring Stefon Diggs via trade from the Bills. Given his presence, along with that of Nico Collins and Tank Dell, expectations were high in 2024. The team’s offense did not preform as hoped, though, and both Diggs and Dell wound up suffering ACL tears.
Diggs is a pending free agent as a result of the restructure he worked out upon arrival in Houston. The team is open to bringing him back, but the injury could complicate his market value. Dell, meanwhile, is in danger of missing most (potentially all) of the 2025 campaign. An experienced pass-catcher would therefore be welcomed, particularly if veteran Robert Woods – who handled a small workload this past campaign – departs in free agency.
One year remains on Samuel’s pact, part of the reason he has long been seen as a trade candidate. That become true to an even larger extent last offseason when the 49ers selected Ricky Pearsall in the first round of the draft and (eventually) worked out a big-ticket extension with Brandon Aiyuk. Samuel, 29, could soon see his San Francisco tenure come to an amicable end.
The former second-rounder earned All-Pro acclaim in 2021, the year in which he best highlighted his unique skillset. Samuel led the NFL in yards per reception (18.2) with a 77-1,405-6 statline. Toward the end of the campaign, he increasingly handled ‘wide back’ duties and racked up eight rushing touchdowns. On the back of that success, he secured a three-year, $71.55MM extension (the end result of a process which included a trade request at one point). 
Samuel has missed multiple games each year since signing his pact, though, and only once in that span has he eclipsed 1,000 scrimmage yards. The 49ers could be equipped to move forward with Aiyuk and Pearsall leading the way at the receiver spot, with Jauan Jennings in the fold in a notable complementary role as well. Samuel, if healthy, would nevertheless add a distinct element to any number of offenses.
Schultz’s report also names the Steelers and Broncos as teams which have shown some level of interest. Pittsburgh was linked to many receiver additions last offseason, including extensive trade talks and extension negotiations related to Aiyuk. Denver aims to keep Courtland Sutton in the fold, but the team is not believed to have serious interest in adding a pricey veteran such as Samuel or Cooper Kupp.
A Day 3 pick was recently mentioned as the potential trade price in a Samuel deal. The Commanders are on track to own seven selections, including four on the draft’s final day. The Texans only have six picks at the moment, but they own one in each of the fourth and fifth rounds. It will be interesting to see if an agreement can be reached with either team in the near future.
Jon Allen for Deebo
Make sense in essence cause it fills a need for the 49ers too but they gotta shed salary if they want to pay Purdy and still have wiggle room to fill out the roster. Allen’s base salary is like $17M give or take (don’t quote me). I believe Kittle needs a new contract too and he brings way more value than Deebo, especially with last season as the benchmark
You give us a 5th round pick and we’ll consider taking Deebo
The Commanders really need to be smart this offseason. This reminds me of the first year McDermott took over the Bills. They made the playoffs year 1. Then they missed the playoffs the year after but it was because they were SMART. They didn’t let that season of overachieving blind them to the status of their roster. The fact is, Washington is not just 1 or 2 guys from a superbowl. They were very fortunate to run into a Detroit team that was running a whole practice squad of a defense. The NFCCG showed exactly how far back they still are. They need to realize that they can improve this year but maybe not make it quite as far in the playoffs, and that’s ok. If they’re dumb enough to legit think this roster is just a game away from the Super Bowl, then they’re going to ruin an opportunity to just keep building slowly through the draft with some key FA acquisitions. Myles Garrett and Deebo Samuel are a complete waste of draft picks for them. Don’t waste assets on aging players that won’t help you 2-3 years from now when you’re REALLY trying to compete for a Super Bowl
Debo would be a bandaid- that can’t stay on the field. And the draft price for Garrett would be huge.
It would be ironic, would it not, if after all of Aiyuk’s maneuvering to supposedly get sent to Washington, it ends up being Samuel who gets traded there?