With NFL free agency just days away, teams across the league are preparing to address roster needs identified through offseason evaluations and internal self-scouting. Despite allocating recent draft capital to the wide receiver position, the Kansas City Chiefs remain a team frequently mentioned as needing to improve the pass-catching group around quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
A recent projection suggests the Chiefs could emerge as a potential landing spot for a veteran wide receiver still chasing a Super Bowl.
Chiefs Floated as Potential Landing Spot for Deebo Samuel Sr.
In a breakdown of the top 100 free agents available this offseason, PFSN analyst Jacob Infante highlighted Deebo Samuel Sr. as a veteran playmaker who could still provide value in the right offensive system.
After spending most of his career with the San Francisco 49ers, Samuel was traded to the Washington Commanders in 2025. Infante explained how the veteran’s role has evolved but still carries potential upside for teams willing to deploy him creatively.
Infante wrote: “After seven years with the 49ers, Deebo Samuel Sr. was traded to the Washington Commanders in 2025. He wasn’t the bona fide WR1 he used to be, but he still improved his numbers compared to 2024, catching 72 passes for 727 yards and 5 touchdowns.
“Statistically, Samuel’s best days are behind him. A creative offense can still weaponize him as a versatile Swiss Army knife with his backfield capabilities, making him a potential low-risk, high-reward type of receiver.”
Samuel is projected to command a contract worth roughly three years and $17.6 million per season. The Chiefs’ current wide receiver outlook makes an addition like Samuel worth considering. At the moment, only Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice are guaranteed to return in 2026, and neither appears firmly locked into long-term roles with the franchise.
Worthy has shown flashes but has battled durability concerns and has produced largely through schemed touches rather than a full route tree. Rice’s future with the Chiefs is also uncertain following new off-field allegations that may complicate the team’s trust moving forward.
The situation placed added pressure on the Chiefs to surround Mahomes with more dependable weapons, especially when considering his late-season ACL injury last year. Despite leading the Chiefs to multiple Super Bowl titles, Mahomes has often done so with receiving groups that lacked high-end consistency. The Chiefs rank last in the NFL in wide receiver spending, a strategy that may become harder to justify as Mahomes moves deeper into his 30s.
Samuel enters free agency at a different stage of his career. The veteran is now on the wrong side of 30 and has failed to reach 1,000 all-purpose yards in each of the past two seasons.
During his season with Washington, Samuel posted a 77.2 WR Impact Score, ranking 34th among receivers. That production marked a noticeable drop from his All-Pro campaign with San Francisco in 2021, when he recorded a 92.7 WR Impact Score that ranked third in PFSN’s Wide Receiver Impact Metric.
Even with that decline, Samuel’s versatility remains appealing. His ability to operate as both a receiver and ball carrier could give head coach Andy Reid another movable weapon in an offense built around Mahomes’ creativity.
