Deebo Samuel’s six-year run with the San Francisco 49ers came to an end as the team traded him to the Washington Commanders. Samuel will go from Brock Purdy to Jayden Daniels, another promising young quarterback in the league. Daniels led the Commanders to the NFC Championship game last season, as he now has a new weapon, one that Purdy has all of the confidence in the world in.
Brock Purdy Defends Deebo Samuel After WR Gets Called ‘Fat’
Having played with Samuel since taking over as the starting quarterback in 2022, Purdy knows a thing or two about the 29-year-old. Patrick Mahomes was recently under fire for “not being in shape,” claims that his personal trainer had to respond to. The situation with Samuel didn’t reach that. However, Purdy didn’t hesitate to defend his former teammate.
“That was probably walk-through and stuff. They see stuff online, but the media can come out and tape anything,” Purdy said. “You could be in a walk-through going half speed and all that, and they blow it out of proportion. I know when the season comes rolling around, Deebo is going to have a chip on his shoulder for sure. He’s going to be just fine. I don’t buy into any of that stuff.”
Samuel finished third on the 49ers last season with his 670 receiving yards. He trailed George Kittle and Jauan Jennings, as Kittle surpassed 1,000 while Jennings finished just shy with his 975. Samuel had just three touchdowns, a large decrease from the seven he had in 2023. In that season, Samuel also finished third on the team in receiving yards.
Heading to a team with Terry McLaurin, it’s going to be hard for Samuel to lead the team in yardage. Those two are going to complement each other quite well, depending on McLaurin’s status. The wide receiver has yet to sign a contract extension as he reaches the final year of his three-year, $68 million deal.
Purdy was never able to get the production out of Samuel that he finished the 2021 season with. The South Carolina graduate’s lone 1,000+ yard season came in 2021, as he finished with not only 1,405 receiving yards but 365 rushing yards as well. His rushing-yard total fell to 232 in 2022, and it remained above 200 in 2023. He wasn’t nearly as productive in 2024, seeing his average fall from 6.1 to 3.2 yards per carry.
The 49ers trade was a long time coming, as Purdy looks to Brandon Aiyuk, Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, and Kittle to get San Francisco back to the postseason. For Samuel, he will suit up in a different uniform for the first time in his career as the Commanders keep up their Super Bowl aspirations.
