49ers Sign Deebo Samuel
Updated: Aug 25
Reunited and it feels so good.
Ian Rapoport announced Thursday evening that the 49ers were signing Deebo Samuel to a 1 year contract worth up to $7m. Most likely meaning the max, with incentives, is $7m, and the base is likely closer to $4m.
Deebo spent 2025 with the Washington Commanders after being traded for a 5th round in March 2025.
He totaled 72 receptions, 727 yards, and 5 TDs through the air. Deebo added 17 carries for 75 yards and 1 TD on the ground.
All in all, it was a disappointing season for Washington, but Deebo was healthy and led Washington in receiving and total yards.
Despite the low number of carries, the Commanders primarily used Deebo around the line of scrimmage.
Over 26% of Deebo's targets were screen passes, and over 67% of his targets were under 10 air yards.
Washington's offense had this plan for him, but also used Deebo like this out of necessity, as WR Terry McLaurin missed 7 games, WR Luke McCaffrey missed 10, and QB Jayden Daniels missed 10. They had to find a way to get the ball to a playmaker, resulting in a lot of designed plays for Deebo. And I might add, they were not well designed. With these restrictions, Washington's offense was fairly predictable and bland.
Here are a couple cut-ups of Deebo Samuel's time in Washington.
All of Deebo Samuel's routes when he was aligned in the backfield.
All of Deebo Samuel's carries.
Deebo was a free agent after his 3 year, $71.55m contract expired, a deal he received after his All-Pro 2021 campaign.
I am here to tell you how good Deebo Samuel still is. What his role on the 49ers projects to be. And how I personally hope he is used in this offense in 2026.
First off, I am not going to tell you Deebo is in his prime.
His incredible burst once the ball hits his hands and ability to instantly hit top speed after changing direction or breaking a tackle have dissipated.
However, Deebo Samuel is still a good football player and far from "washed," as the media likes to put it.
This narrative started when Deebo was a bit heftier than normal in 2022, where he still had a decent season but his role diminished and he missed a handful of games.
In 2023, Deebo had an elite season, but was essentially the 4th fiddle on the offense, behind the OPOY Christian McCaffrey, All-Pro TE George Kittle, and All-Pro WR Brandon Aiyuk. While he was still elite, he just only saw 97 touches, as opposed to the 136 he saw in 2021.
In 2024, Deebo started off the season strong. Through 5 games, he had 20/335/1 in the receiving game, with an additional 51 yards and 1 TD on the ground. Then Deebo contracted pneumonia. This illness typically takes up to 2 months to fully recover. Deebo played in 7 of the next 8 games, putting up just 23/234/0 and only 44 yards on the ground. A significant dip in production and efficiency. Over his final two games of 2024, Deebo had 8/101/2 with 41 rushing yards. And he took on some kick return duties, averaging 32 yards on 4 returns. 2024 was when the "fat, old, slow, and washed" slander began, and it was all because Deebo had pneumonia.
And we already went over his 2025 production. But let's touch on that some more, because that is the last we've seen from him.
Out of 77 qualified wide receivers, here is where Deebo ranked in some notable categories:
35th in catch rate over expected (+1.8%)
33rd in yards per route run (1.7 yards)
8th in yards after catch (465 total yards)
11th in yards after catch over expected (81 total yards)
As mentioned, the majority of Deebo's work came on screens and close to the line of scrimmage. This makes it harder to evaluate his statistics, as his role is so unique compared to other WRs across the league.
Deebo still provides what is essentially elite after the catch ability, it's just not what he did in his prime, which bordered on legendary.
While he had 6 drops in 2025, his drop percentage(6.1%) ranked just 49th worst in the NFL.
Deebo has strong hands that widen his catch radius. He still does his best work moving across the field where he can catch and run, but he won on the occasional vertical routes in 2025. The speed is not gone.
If Deebo is healthy and in shape(preferably not over 215lbs), I think he still can contribute in a significant way to an offense. There is really no evidence, besides hitting the big 3-0, to suggest he slowed down.
Deebo's Role
Now that we have established the fact that Deebo can truly contribute to an offense in 2026, let's talk about what his role may be.
The 49ers current WR room is interesting and, really, they are all unproven in this franchise.
Mike Evans - veteran perimeter presence. The 49ers are praying he stays healthy after a 8 game 2025 campaign at 32 years old. I wrote about his potential role here. Summary? Jauan Jennings+.
Christian Kirk - veteran slot guy. He can win quickly from the slot and get across a safety's face. But he doesn't have elite speed anymore, and he has not practiced yet in training camp.
Demarcus Robinson - veteran Z receiver. Lost his once elite speed, but isn't too slow and has a solid body and route running to win with.
De'Zhaun Stribling - rookie. Speed and size with a wide catch radius. Drafted to bring explosive plays back to SF. Expected to fill Deebo's void.
Jordan Watkins - year 2. Fast guy with a bit of route running capability, only saw 3 targets as a rookie.
Jacob Cowing - year 3. smaller, quick, speedy guy who can work from the slot or outside. Missed all of 2025 with a hamstring. On the roster bubble.
Ricky Pearsall - year 3. Will miss all of 2026. A PCL injury suffered in 2025 swelled up in training camp, he is getting season-ending surgery.
A rookie, along with two other young guys who have a combined 6 career catches make up half the room. And slow veterans who will be ages 33, 32, and 30 by the trade deadline make up the other half.
Where does Deebo fit in?
The Pearsall injury opens up a fairly massive roster spot, and Deebo steps right in. The problem is, Pearsall and Deebo's styles of WR are different enough to where this is not a one for one replacement.
Pearsall brought an element of route running and separation versus man coverage that is now lacking in the 49ers WR room.
As mentioned, Deebo and Stribling are quite similar. Or at least their roles would be.
A movable receiver who plays off the line of scrimmage and is mostly schemed open to create explosive plays, being targeted over the middle of the field.
Explosive plays was noted by Klay Kubiak in a press conference during training camp, and was a clear focus for the 49ers this offseason. In 2025, the 49ers ranked 19th in offensive explosives. And there is a clear correlation between explosive plays and successful offenses:
Explosive play leaders(via SumerSports):
Buffalo Bills
Los Angeles Rams
New England Patriots
Chicago Bears
Baltimore Ravens
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Seattle Seahawks
Dallas Cowboys
All but Baltimore and Green Bay were also top 10 scoring offenses.
All but Baltimore and Green Bay were also top 10 offenses in terms of yards.
All but Baltimore and Seattle were also top 10 offenses in terms of EPA.
All were also top 10 in yards per play.
Where did the 49ers rank in those categories?
Explosives - 19th
Scoring - 10th
Yardage - 7th
Yards per play - 11th
EPA per play - 7th
The 49ers had a top 10 offense despite lagging behind in explosives.
That is why they added Stribling. And, even though he is nearly 33 years old and not technically explosive, Mike Evans will still give you definitionally explosive plays(receptions of 20+ yards).
Sorry for the explosiveness tangent. The 49ers clearly upgraded this area, or at least tried. But back to Deebo's role.
I would assume the 49ers and Kyle Shanahan prioritize rookie De'Zhaun Stribling. He is the most explosive player they have and gives you the most speed and likely the most upside on offense. But he's taking Deebo Samuel's role. So where does Deebo play?
First off, it's historical that 49ers receivers play rotating roles.
Jauan Jennings has played every position. Deebo played in, out, and in the backfield. Demarcus Robinson played all spots in 2025. Pearsall has played inside and out. And the 49ers have mentioned how Stribling is not going to be confined to one spot.
So there will be rotating.
I also believe age plays a primary factor here.
The 49ers want to make a deep playoff run, and need everyone to be fresh. Specifically, Mike Evans and Christian McCaffrey.
I would bet Evans plays closer to 55-60% of snaps this season, rather than his typical 80%. Same with McCaffrey.
What to do with that extra 40% of snaps? Enter Deebo Samuel.
Deebo will likely take a good amount of backfield snaps. It just makes sense. We know he can do it, and we also know it would be wise to ease up McCaffrey's workload. And we also know how poor the 49ers offense looked when there was not a threat of his receiving ability in the backfield.
The 49ers will definitely line Deebo up at RB to maintain an elite receiving threat out of the backfield.
And for replacing Evans, it's not quite the same.
I mentioned the 49ers "cross-training" their WRs because while nobody can play the X like Mike Evans, that is not really relevant.
In fact, in terms of the X position on the 49ers, Evans himself is the outlier. The 49ers have not had a guy like that in well over a decade. All of Kyle Shanahan's tenure, the perimeter receivers have been running in-breaking routes. Or it will be 21 personnel and there isn't a true X on the field anyways.
I guarantee we will see plenty of sets where Deebo is on the field with Stribling or Demarcus Robinson. Or even Mike Evans, because he will still get his reps in at where Stribling projects to start. Shanahan is not going to throw a rookie receiver into an 80% snap share right away.
As for 11 personnel, Deebo played 60% of his snaps in 2025 from the slot. In Deebo's old role, he was often a motion man. That's why he, and now likely Stribling, lined up off the LOS. So Deebo was lined up all over the field. I do not think Deebo's alignment is a concern.
I also anticipate Deebo being the 49ers full-time kick returner.
Deebo Samuel will most certainly play a variety of roles in this offense, but I think the most important thing he provides is rest. Having Deebo's versatility allows other weapons to be fresh for longer.
I do not expect Deebo to own a starting spot, but I do expect Shanahan to utilize him a large amount, which will result in a healthy workload for the other offensive skill players.
Ideal Scenario
Now, what do I want to see from Deebo?
First, let me express how happy I am to see Deebo back in the Bay and in 19 again.
I believe he will play an important role on this offense, and I do agree with a lot of what I said above, which was a mix of opinion, description of the 49ers offense, and how I believe Shanahan will deploy Deebo Samuel.
However, for me, Deebo should not be the priority. it should be the young players.
I repeatedly brought up De'Zhaun Stribling, the 33rd overall pick of this years' draft, who has been making headlines in training camp thus far.
Stribling is priority A on this offense, in my opinion. Without Pearsall, he is the most notable young weapon the 49ers could build on. He brings uniqueness with his combination of frame and speed. Stribling is how the 49ers get their offense back to being explosive.
And as I mentioned, he projects to play the role that Deebo held during his tenure in San Francisco. And while Deebo can still his snaps in there, Stribling needs first dibs.
Because if he can hold it down with no issues, there's no reason for any other player on the offense to get reps over Stribling.
Another rookie this year that I would like to see get first dibs on his position over Deebo is 3rd round RB Kaelon Black.
I mentioned how Deebo could help give McCaffrey some snaps off, while still giving the 49ers a legitimate receiving threat in the backfield. I stand on this, but I would like Black to have a larger snap percentage than Deebo at RB. He should see more carries as the RB2. Second year RB Jordan James applies here too, but he just broke his ribs in training camp, so I am assuming Black gets the RB2 job.
Something else I would like to see is 21 personnel, which the 49ers already run more than anybody else in the NFL, but with Deebo and another RB in the backfield, rather than a FB. Another way to get Deebo on the field, have a motion threat, and a "true" RB still available.
I have some other takes about younger guys getting on the field, but those may apply more towards veteran WRs Christian Kirk and Demarcus Robinson.
I would prefer Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing see the field before those veterans.
Everything I am trying to convey leads into wanting to see if the youth the 49ers possess can fix the offense.
Having veteran WRs is fine, but it puts a ceiling on the offense.
Replacing Pearsall will be hard. And we know Robinson, Kirk, nor Deebo can't do that. So why not let Watkins or Cowing have a shot?
Year after year it seems as though the media talks about the age of the 49ers offense.
You can only fix this by finding young guys that see the field. But the 49ers are not letting them see the field! San Francisco has the youth, they just have to play!
Veteran stop-gaps are cool, but by relying on them, it does not allow the young guys to play. And if they don't play, we do not know how good they are. And if we do not know how good they are, next offseason, they'll sign more stop-gaps!
Demarcus Robinson, Kendrick Bourne, Christian Kirk, Deebo Samuel, and even Mike Evans to an extent. The offense won't see real growth if you don't have an infusion of young talent. And if it doesn't work? Then you go to the vets. Make them a last resort, not a priority.
Every other position on the 49ers allows young players get a chance to start, even with no prior experience.
Notably, we've seen it at safety: 2022, Talanoa Hufanga. 2024, Malik Mustapha.
Linebacker: 2018, Fred Warner. 2019, Dre Greenlaw. 2021, Azeez Al-Shaair. 2025, Dee Winters
Offensive line: 2020, Daniel Brunskill. 2022, Jake Brendel. 2023, Colton McKivitz.
These are the more notable examples. Whether earned as a rookie, or the team trusts the development the player has made over the year, they all get a shot. But not at WR.
49ers WRs are growing just the same, but not provided any opportunities. Let them play!
This is why I believe Deebo Samuel should be in a more of a supplemental role.
Get Christian McCaffrey off the field, get Mike Evans some rest, and ease in Stribling (assuming he doesn't excel immediately).
I would not describe it as a "gadget" role, but Deebo Samuel should be an offensive piece that is moved around and utilized in a variety of ways.
He should be inserted around the other, perhaps more permanent, pieces of this offense, rather than blocking young players from seeing their reps.
A complimentary piece.
With Ricky Pearsall out for the season, the 49ers are lacking a true separator in the offense in terms of simple route running.
Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins deserve a chance to replace Pearsall because they possess speed that the veterans do not, and may have better route running chops than you think.
But beyond my hope for those two, the 49ers will have to compensate for their likely separation issues in a different way.
The run game needs to return to peak for for this offense to not be predictable.
In 2025, the 49ers run game was bad. For a variety of reason, the main one being teams keying in on Christian McCaffrey. They brought their second safety down because they knew, run or pass, McCaffrey was getting the ball an absurd 40% of the time.
Mike Evans' presence and De'Zhaun Stribling's speed are an attempt to stretch the field back out, which should improve the run game. An improved run game will allow for more effective play-action, which should result in explosive plays, namely from Deebo and Stribling.
And if opposing defenses do not respect the 49ers new additions and the run game is still bad? Well, it might be a bit difficult with no elite man beating receiver, but you hope Evans can win one-on-one on the perimeter and Stribling on crossing routes. And pray the pass protection is strong.
Having Deebo on the field in this scenario, in addition to McCaffrey, may actually make the defense pull so close to the line of scrimmage that, despite a hypothetically ineffective run game, the 49ers can still hit explosive plays.
In short:
Deebo Samuel is still a very effective weapon in the NFL.
Expect the 49ers to use him throughout the offense and a fair amount, enough to where the workload is diluted throughout the offense.
While I believe in Deebo and hope he is utilized all over the offense, enough to ease the workload on other older stars, I also hope the 49ers do not prioritize Deebo, and other veteran receivers, over younger players. I want the ceiling of this offense to be explored, and prefer the veterans be the fall back option if the young guys can't step up.
Thanks for reading through the article! Hopefully my vision for having Deebo around made sense. Let me know what you want Deebo to contribute to the 49ers, and how excited you are to have him back!
Stay tuned for more NFL and 49ers articles, news, and opinions!
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