No one would have blamed the Washington Commanders if they simply wanted to run back as much of 2024 as possible – they have the most valuable asset in our game in a dynamic QB on a rookie deal and are coming off of a season in which their playoff run was ended by the eventual champions.
Deebo Samuel Trade Grades
They, instead, identified a distressed asset in San Francisco and pounced. Few true Super Bowl windows are open as long as we hope and it is clear that this franchise has every intention of making the most of this opportunity.
Their team gets better in a spot of need (Samuel is one of the best after-the-catch receivers of this generation and playoff teams last season averaged 11.8% more YAC yards per grab than teams who failed to qualify) while also weakening a team that represented the NFC in The Big Game just two seasons ago.
As the defending champs, the Eagles deserve to be favored to repeat as NFC East winners, but Washington has solidified themselves as a Tier 1 team in the conference and can now make the defensive side of the ball their primary focus in the coming months.
Commanders Grade: A
Grading a move like this for the team that loses a star is always difficult – it’s obviously a roster downgrade, but how far can a fractured locker room really go?
From an expected wins point of view, moving Samuel to the AFC would have been optimal (there were Houston rumors), but again, this is a team that was handcuffed by the demands of a star player and couldn’t afford to be picky.
Love it.
Deebo is a terrific/versatile complement to Terry McLaurin.
And, for the 49ers, a clear path for an Aiyuk/Jennings/Pearsall trio at WR. https://t.co/jpypqkwsAV
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) March 1, 2025
At the end of the day, they were able to recoup some future value for a player that was, very possibly, done with helping them in regard. Washington clearly wins in a big way from making this move, but that doesn’t mean we assign San Francisco a failing grade – they played with the hand they were dealt and allowed themselves to enter this offseason with a clear picture of what they have to work with.