Feb. 14, 2026, 3:01 a.m. ET
Washington Commanders fans immediately went into panic mode on Thursday when the Spotrac X account posted the following message regarding wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
Fans immediately turned the tweet into “Adam Peters screwed up again.” As we’ve learned with NFL contracts over the years, not everything is as it appears. That’s the case with Samuel’s contract, too.
When the Commanders traded for Samuel last offseason, he had one year remaining on the extension he signed with the San Francisco 49ers. Samuel was due to have a base salary of $16.6 million in 2025, but the Commanders guaranteed Samuel $17 million and added $3 million in incentives. The move allowed Washington to spread Samuel’s cap hit over two years, and he counted only $5.1 million against the 2025 salary cap. The tradeoff was that his contract would be voided, and the remainder of his cap hit would count against the 2026 cap.
So, Samuel will now have a $12.3 million dead cap hit for 2026. It’s simple NFL accounting, and every team does it.
The main concern for fans is that this $12 million cap hit would reduce Washington’s cap space for free agency. While it does count, that number was already accounted for in the 2026 cap. So, if you saw the Commanders’ cap space at $75 million before Samuel’s contract was voided, nothing has changed, per Over the Cap.
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Technically, Samuel is now a free agent, less than one month before free agency begins.
In his one season with the Commanders, Samuel played in 16 games and led Washington with 72 receptions, 727 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He was effective, but due to injuries, he often had to play more of a traditional wide receiver role rather than the one he played in San Francisco.
Samuel was solid for Washington last season, but it would appear the team would prefer an upgrade, preferably someone who can stretch the field to pair with Terry McLaurin. Spotrac has Samuel’s value at $15.8 million in 2026.