Potential Trade Destinations For Deebo Samuel

Samuel has been a versatile part of 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan‘s offense over the last four seasons, but the team has been making moves to give itself options at the receiver position. The 49ers extended Brandon Aiyuk last offseason, as well as veteran Jauan Jennings who responded with a career year. First-round rookie Ricky Pearsall emerged late in the season after getting shot at the end of the preseason and having to deal with that along with the usual learning curve for Shanahan receivers.

Samuel has dealt with nagging injuries over the last few seasons and is entering his age-29 season in the final year of his deal. With his frustrations from last year and the unlikelihood that he would be extended, it seems like both sides are ready to move on.

Trade Logistics

According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, Samuel has a $15.43 million option bonus due on the 10th day of the league year, March 22. Combined with his $1.17 million base salary, $200,000 workout bonus and up to $750,000 in per-game active roster bonuses, Samuel is due a total of $17.55 million in 2025. 

Fitzgerald points out the 49ers can decline the option and while it won’t free them from the responsibility of paying it, it would convert the bonus to base salary and give the team more time to shop Samuel around. It would also increase his 2025 cap hit because the option bonus would count all at once and not be spread out over the void years on Samuel’s contract. That’s a little in the weeds but the point is there are two soft deadlines for the 49ers to trade Samuel — March 22 before the option is due and the 2025 NFL Draft at the end of April. 

Trading or cutting Samuel before June 1 would accelerate $31.55 million in dead money to the 2025 season for the 49ers, nearly twice what he’s currently on the books for. The benefit is they’d save over $17 million in cash and get a draft pick but that’s a significant amount of dead money to take on and could impact the draft compensation the 49ers will be seeking. 

Trading or cutting Samuel after June 1 would leave just $10.75 million in dead money in 2025 with the remaining $20.8 million shunted off until 2026. However, at that point a release becomes far more likely than a trade because most teams won’t have $17 million lying around to spend by June.

Samuel’s trade market will be at its strongest in March when teams have full spending budgets and fall precipitously after the draft. The longer this drags on, the messier it gets as well. The timing of any Samuel resolution could come down to whether the 49ers prioritize the picks on the table in any trade offers or the salary cap flexibility of cutting Samuel in June.

As far as trade compensation, with age, injury history and contract considered Samuel is likely to be worth a late day-two pick at absolute most. He’s a unique player who made a clear impact for the 49ers — just look at the splits for when he was healthy and playing versus when he wasn’t — but it’s fair to question how he fits in a non-Shanahan scheme.

A fourth or fifth-round pick feels like a more likely return. The Bears gave up a fourth to take on WR Keenan Allen and his $20 million salary. The Browns traded essentially a fifth for WR Amari Cooper when he was due $20 million a season. The 49ers might push for a second or third citing trades for Stefon Diggs and Davante Adams but Samuel has more question marks than those two. 

Samuel could push for an extension as a part of a trade, but betting on himself for a season before entering free agency, like Diggs did last offseason when he was traded to Houston from Buffalo, isn’t the worst alternative.

Here are potential landing spots for Samuel based on fit and financial situation:

Washington Commanders

No team changed its trajectory more in 2024 than the Washington Commanders, propelled by a dynamic rookie season from QB Jayden Daniels. As they enter the offseason, Washington may seek to upgrade the position with six receivers poised to hit the market, including Olamide Zaccheaus and Dyami Brown.

The Commanders are projected to have the third-most cap space for 2025, trailing only the Raiders and Patriots. They have the financial flexibility to either keep Samuel as a one-year rental or offer him an extension to play alongside Terry McLaurin for several years. 

In terms of fit, Samuel is a versatile weapon who can thrive in any capable system. Washington needs playmakers in any way possible, and Samuel would provide an elite after-the-catch threat that could be utilized out of the backfield alongside Daniels. With the Offensive Rookie of the Year on his cost-effective rookie contract, the Commanders should pursue bigger moves to gather as much talent as possible.

Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers had a massive void at receiver heading into the 2024 season after moving on from Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, but Ladd McConkey stepped up massively in his rookie year including a near 200-yard postseason game against Houston. Despite McConkey’s strong year, Los Angeles needs another playmaker at the position if they want to elevate into championship contenders. 

Financially, the Chargers have $63.4 million in cap space at the moment which is fifth-most in the league. The futures of pass rushers Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa are uncertain, which would leave an expensive hole at a premium position. Despite this, the Chargers have plenty of room to make a run at Samuel if they desire. 

Next to McConkey, Samuel would provide a strong contrast as someone who works near the line of scrimmage and wins with after-the-catch ability. McConkey often showed his ability to win downfield in his first year, which is why Samuel would fit in as an underneath option who thrives with the ball in his hands. Additionally, the possibilities of a rushing threat like Samuel in a Greg Roman offense are endless. 

Denver Broncos

Denver is another team that turned around its direction with a strong season thanks to a rookie quarterback. They are retaining their top contributors at receiver for 2025 and saw flashes from Marvin Mims and Devaughn Vele, but they might want a splash of talent to increase the room’s ceiling and add depth simultaneously. Broncos HC Sean Payton has also talked about wanting a “joker” to create mismatches on offense which could make a player like Samuel who blurs the lines between position distinctions attractive. 

Unlike the Commanders and Chargers, the Broncos are not flooded with cap space because of the second portion of Russell Wilson‘s dead cap hit, but they have more than enough to make the move. Denver has $34.8 million in cap space with no free agents expected to command more than $10 million AAV to stay. However, Courtland Sutton is entering the final year of his deal and could seek a pay raise following his strong 2024 season. An extension would help the Broncos with 2025 cap space but would put a large contract on the books for the future.

Sutton does the majority of his work downfield as a contested-catch specialist which is why Samuel would fit in well with this offense. With a potential long-term deal waiting for Sutton, the Broncos could allow Samuel to play out the final year of his contract before potentially handing him a multi-year extension, the same approach the Texans took with Diggs. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

Since Brandon Aiyuk last summer, the Steelers have seemingly been interested in every receiver to become available, which shouldn’t change with Samuel. Pittsburgh has been looking to upgrade the position for a while now, and they need another starter with Van Jefferson and Mike Williams hitting free agency. Starting RB Najee Harris is also a free agent and Samuel could take some of his carries behind Jaylen Warren if Harris is not retained.

The Steelers have over $40 million in cap space at the moment but don’t have a quarterback under contract and LT Dan Moore Jr. is set to be a free agent. Top WR George Pickens is also entering the final year of his contract and could push for an extension. If Pittsburgh made a move for Samuel, they could also let him prove himself for a season before committing to him for multiple years. 

Pittsburgh has plenty of questions to answer this offseason, but they have shown a consistent interest in available receivers since trading Diontae Johnson. It would be surprising if they weren’t interested in Samuel as a dynamic threat with the ball to complement Pickens who does most of his damage vertically. 

New England Patriots

Moving into teams who didn’t make the postseason in 2024, the Patriots are coming off a year with some of the worst league-wide production at receiver. Demario Douglas led the team in yards at just 621 and Kayshon Boutte was the only other player in the room to crack the 500-yard mark. 2024 rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker produced just 99 yards combined.

New England has the most cap space in the NFL for 2025, sitting over $120 million at the moment. Additionally, potential quarterback of the future Drake Maye will enter the second year of his rookie deal, giving them a cost-effective option at a premium position. The Patriots will almost certainly go after Bengals WR Tee Higgins on the open market due to his age and fit with the team’s timeline. If they cannot get Higgins and don’t pivot to Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin, making a move for Samuel feels imperative to help out Maye in his sophomore season.

The Patriots can afford Samuel and have a desperate need at receiver. While he isn’t going to be their top pick of the offseason, trading for Samuel could make sense even if they land one of the top players on the market because of his versatility. New England is trending up thanks to new HC Mike Vrabel and Maye, and they have an important offseason to surround their young signal caller with as much talent to get them back into contention.

Las Vegas Raiders

Another team with plenty of cap space that could splurge on Samuel is the Las Vegas Raiders. While the Patriots have the most cap space for 2025 at the moment, the Raiders are No. 2, plus No. in projections for 2026 and No. 4 in 2027. Vegas doesn’t have a promising quarterback on a rookie deal, which is where their situation differs from New England.

With the hiring of new HC Pete Carroll, the Raiders seem to be looking to turn things around quickly rather than a long-term rebuild. They have been connected to Vikings QB Sam Darnold and Steelers QB Russell Wilson, which would also feel like win-now moves as opposed to a move for a rookie. Although TE Brock Bowers and WR Jakobi Meyers are talented pass catchers, adding Samuel could help transform Las Vegas’ offense this offseason.

Like the Patriots, the Raiders can afford Samuel on a multi-year deal if they want. Since there’s no guarantee the situation will be great, Samuel might push for an extension with Vegas rather than betting on himself on a rough offense. With the influence of Carroll and minority owner Tom Brady, adding Samuel would be an aggressive move signaling a desire to contend in 2025.

Carolina Panthers

Carolina doesn’t have quite the cap space of the last two teams or the chance to contend like the first four, but the Panthers have an undeniable need for talent at the position. As it stands, the Panthers would roll out 2024 first-rounder Xavier Legette, 34-year-old Adam Thielen and 2024 UDFA Jalen Coker as their three starting receivers. Despite the flashes from Legette and Coker and the past production from Thielen, that would be one of the worst groups in football.

On the surface, trading for a 29-year-old expensive receiver when you aren’t in win-now mode seems illogical. Carolina also has significant needs on defense and not a lot of spending power. However, if the Panthers think they can contend for the postseason in 2025 or want to prioritize the continued development of QB Bryce Young over anything, adding a talent like Samuel to the mix could make sense.

Starting the year with Samuel and Thielen in the receiver room could block the development of guys like Legette and Coker, but Thielen could start to transition into a lighter role after serving as the team’s No. 1 receiver the past two years. It’s also worth noting Samuel went to college at South Carolina and has maintained a connection with the program, including fellow Gamecock alum Legette.  

Financially, the Panthers currently have $20.87 million in cap space without any big names hitting the market. Going past this year, Carolina is projected to be fifth in cap space in 2026 at the moment and 13th in 2027. While they don’t have the massive room for 2025 that the Raiders and Patriots have, they have the space to entice Samuel on a lucrative multi-year extension.

Options With Limited Cap Flexibility

• Buffalo Bills
• Baltimore Ravens
• Dallas Cowboys

On the field, the Bills, Ravens and Cowboys all make sense for Samuel. They are strong offenses who need another playmaker at the receiver position, but none have cap flexibility to the point where they are guaranteed to be interested in Samuel. 

All three teams have avenues to create more room. However, Samuel’s 2024 production dip will generate performance and availability concerns for next season. For teams without much wiggle room, losing a bet on Samuel’s upside would be tough to deal with when already pressed against the salary cap.

Buffalo and Baltimore are run-heavy offenses that cannot guarantee intense involvement for Samuel every game. Considering his displeasure about usage in 2024, a swing for Samuel might not make sense for them.

For Dallas, it’s hard to imagine owner Jerry Jones will be fine committing another $17 million to the receiver position with Ceedee Lamb getting $34 million a year, even if he’s swung trades for veteran receivers in the past. Samuel’s upside could convince these teams to make a move but it would be understandable why they might choose to stay away.

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