Versatile wide receiver Deebo Samuel will be playing his football in the nation’s capital next season after the San Francisco 49ers agreed to trade him to the Washington Commanders for a fifth-round draft pick. Reacting to the news, Samuel’s longtime teammate George Kittle took to social media to pay tribute to his friend.
Deebo Samuel Traded to the Washington Commanders
The 49ers assembled the most feared supporting cast in the NFL in recent years after picking up eventual starting quarterback Brock Purdy with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. The organization surrounded Purdy with a scary crew of offensive talent, including Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey.
But despite all that firepower and one of the league’s top play-callers running the show, San Francisco has dropped two conference championships and one Super Bowl over the last four years. Twenty years have now passed since the 49ers’ last Super Bowl win, and after missing the playoffs altogether in 2024, it seems a rebuild might be in the cards.
The 49ers finally have to pay their young quarterback, meaning a lot less salary cap room for the guys around him, which likely sparked Samuel’s exit. But with the team struggling hard in 2024 without McCaffrey and Aiyuk, who were banged up for most of the season, trading a key offensive weapon is a tough pill for 49ers fans to swallow.
Deebo Samuel ➡️ @Commanders 🚨@RapSheet delivers the breaking news regarding this trade. pic.twitter.com/liuVzjwDND
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) March 1, 2025
Samuel, though, joins a Washington squad that turned things around big-time in 2024. After hiring former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to lead the team, the Commanders struck gold when they drafted Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Daniels ran away with the Offensive Rookie of the Year award after leading the Commanders to the NFC title game with a string of unreal performances all season long.
George Kittle Has Words of Encouragement for Samuel
After word of the trade broke, a bunch of Samuel’s 49ers teammates hit social media to send the receiver their best. Among them was his longtime teammate, George Kittle.
Kittle posted a picture of himself and Samuel balling out for the 49ers with the words, “My brother! Go be great.”
George Kittle 🤝 Deebo Samuel pic.twitter.com/okI5sl2Jcw
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) March 2, 2025
Kittle and Samuel have been teammates for six years since Samuel was drafted to the team in 2019. Kittle was picked two years earlier in 2017, and both have been 49ers ever since.
Samuel leaves the 49ers after six seasons, two Super Bowl appearances, four NFC Championship appearances, and one Pro Bowl nod.