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What’s going on with Deebo Samuel?
The 30-year-old wide receiver and 2021 All-Pro is among the best players left on the NFL free agent market, but the former Washington Commanders and San Francisco 49ers receiver has no intention of hanging up his cleats anytime soon.
“Going through year 8… [I] I still feel like I have a lot left, at least three or four good years,” Samuel said in a recent video posted on his YouTube page. “It’s been a little tough, I’m not even going to lie to you. Everything that happens in free agency, waking up in the morning, looking at your phone, seeing if your agent hits you and says, ‘This team is interested,’ or things like that. And it’s been like a roller coaster. [I’ve] I’ve been through a lot of things, not just the ball.
“With me and how I play this game, it’s like, no matter what’s going on, no matter what I’m doing, if I’m able to perform, I’m going to go out there and put it on the line for my team.”
After six seasons with the 49ers (2019-24), San Francisco traded Samuel to Washington, which was coming off a 2024 campaign that saw it reach the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991, when it won Super Bowl XXV, and saw quarterback Jayden Daniels earn Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
All told, the Commanders had a 5-12 season in 2025, with Daniels playing in just seven games due to knee, hamstring and elbow injuries, respectively. In 16 games, Samuel totaled 72 receptions for 727 yards (10.1 yards per catch) and five touchdowns. All three totals led the Commanders, with Samuel also rushing for 75 yards and a score.
“Some people ask, ‘Are you ready to hang it up?’ And I say, no, everything has its time,” Samuel said. “So, I promise you that when the time comes, it will come. And I’m too prepared, too ready for the moment. And whenever the right opportunity presents itself, we’re here first, man. I’m ready to rock.”
Since Samuel’s All-Pro 2021 campaign, in which he averaged an NFL-high 18.2 yards per reception and recorded 365 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns, the veteran has averaged 59.8 receptions for 730.3 yards and 4.3 touchdowns per season from 2022-25, while rushing for 167.0 yards per year.
