Deebo Samuel’s contract void changes nothing

WR Deebo Samuel is perhaps the Commanders’ most challenging free agent decision

Washington sent a fifth-round pick to San Francisco last March for wide receiver Deebo Samuel – and his expiring contract. This has been a primary talking point about Samuel’s situation since the trade was made. Whether the Commanders should have extended him was always a separate conversation.

Therefore, no outrage is required with the slot/gadget threat entering free agency. Yet that didn’t stop confusion from spreading after one of the go-to salary cap sites, Spotrac, released a context-light post on the social media site “X.”

WR Deebo Samuel’s contract is set to void today, leaving behind $12,344,420 of dead cap to the #Commanders. The 30-year-old earned $18.25M in 2025, and carries a near $16M valuation into free agency.

Again, all this really states is that Samuel is entering free agency. The use of “void” is a nod to the accounting approach of spreading some salary cap charges beyond the formal years of the contract. In this case, Washington moved the $12.34 million charge to the 2026 ledger, leaving a $5.176 million cap number for this past season. That maneuver didn’t create new money; it simply shifted the timing of the bill’s payment. Teams do this routinely to manage year-to-year flexibility.

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Was trading a fifth-round pick for one year of Samuel worth it? If you believed in his abilities pre-trade, then, yes. Washington taking on the entire salary allowed GM Adam Peters to send San Francisco only a Day 3 selection. If the 49ers absorbed the bulk of the cap hit, the Commanders would have sent out a higher draft pick. That trade structure was intentional.

The season went the way it did, but Samuel had a fine campaign and could have made a greater impact if not for a multi-week Achilles injury and injuries to the outside receivers. Namely, the absence of Terry McLaurin (and Noah Brown) shifted Samuel’s role in the offense from a chess piece moved all around the formation to a more conventional role that didn’t always emphasize his strengths.

None of this has bearing on whether Washington should re-sign the seven-year veteran coming off a season with 72 receptions, six touchdowns, and 802 scrimmage yards. Spotrac’s salary projection of roughly $16 million ranks Samuel fifth among 2026 free agent receivers behind George Pickens, Jauan Jennings, Alec Pierce and Wan’Dale Robinson, and above Rashid Shaheed, Mike Evans, and Romeo Doubs.

We’ll have time to assess and debate which of these receivers best fits Washington’s financial and lineup situation. The key is that these other players are pure outside receivers or deep threats, which is what the Commanders need more than Samuel’s skill set. That doesn’t diminish Samuel’s value; it highlights roster construction priorities.

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2025 fourth-round selection Jaylin Lane thrived in the return game, but playing behind Samuel in the slot, he only had 16 receptions for 225 yards. Finding ways to unleash his 4.34 40-yard speed would greatly benefit the offense. That’s more likely inside than on the perimeter. The same applies to Luke McCaffrey.

Retaining Samuel’s playmaking could be an indication that Washington plans on using the No. 7 overall pick on one of the top WR prospects, namely Ohio State’s Carnell Tate or Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson. However, sitting here ahead of free agency, the more pressing roster deficiency remains on defense.

Whatever happens, Samuel’s contract voiding this week has zero bearing. It was baked into the deal the moment the trade was completed.