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Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel
The Washington Commanders are set to enter the 2026 NFL offseason with quite a few questions that need to be answered.
As free agency gears up to get underway, there are a couple of big names to watch for the Commanders. Both linebacker Bobby Wagner and wide receiver Deebo Samuel are set to hit the open market and teams around the league will have a chance to steal them away.
Both players were key pieces in 2025 and in an ideal world would be re-signed for 2026.
With that being said, a new prediction has been made about the future of Samuel. After his first season in Washington, it sounds very possible that he could choose to sign elsewhere when free agency opens up.
Washington Commanders Land Disappointing Deebo Samuel Prediction
During the 2025 NFL season with the Commanders, the 30-year-old wide receiver played in 16 games. He racked up 72 receptions for 727 yards and five touchdowns, despite star quarterback Jayden Daniels missing a lot of time due to injury.
Washington would love to bring him back, but a new prediction has suggested a different landing spot for Samuel.
Fox Sports analyst Greg Auman has predicted that Samuel will end up signing a free agency contract with the Los Angeles Chargers to join forces with Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert.
“Samuel, 30, has seen his value decline. After being traded from San Francisco to Washington, he agreed to a lesser deal worth $17 million. His one-year production for the Commanders was lackluster: 72 catches for 727 yards and five touchdowns,” Auman wrote.
“The same player who once led the league at 18.2 yards per catch averaged a career-low 10.1 in 2025, and the versatile playmaker who once rushed for 365 yards and eight touchdowns was barely used as a ballcarrier, getting 75 yards and a single score. Can a creative offensive mind get more out of his skill set? Perhaps, but it’s likely he’ll get less this time around, closer to $12-14 million a year.”
Could the Commanders Lose Both Deebo Samuel & Bobby Wagner?
With the prediction being made that Samuel will sign with the Chargers, fans won’t love the prediction that Auman made about Wagner.
In addition to predicting that the Commanders will lose Samuel in free agency, Auman has also projected Wagner to sign a deal with the Los Angeles Rams. Losing both star players would be a worst-case scenario for Washington this offseason.
Just two years ago, the Commanders made a run to the NFC Championship Game. They appeared to be on the fast track to winning a championship.
Now, the team is in jeopardy of seeing things fall apart.
Hopefully, Washington is able to put together an aggressive offseason to get back on track. These are just predictions, but they’re not what Commanders fans want to be hearing as the offseason gets underway.
Evan Massey Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst located in Indianapolis, Indiana who covers the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, and college sports. He has been featured on many publications, including Newsweek, Athlon Sports, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Sporting News, and many others. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son. More about Evan Massey
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