The San Francisco 49ers were eager to trade off All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders this offseason, accepting back a mere fifth-round pick in the NFL Draft while absorbing a massive $31 million dead-cap hit.

If the Niners thought Samuel could enact some vengeance against them in the playoffs while playing for another postseason contender, they likely wouldn’t have essentially given him away.

But they did.

Perhaps San Francisco felt Deebo was already on the decline, never quite the same player since his exceptional 2021 season that resulted in his first and only All-Pro nod. Questions about weight and conditioning apparently became an issue in 2024, according to multiple Bay Area insiders, and now those questions are working their way into Washington’s camp post trade.

Particularly after a viral Commanders minicamp video showed Samuel looking awfully slow on the field.

True, Samuel’s former teammate with the 49ers, tight end George Kittle, quickly shot down criticisms of the now-Washington wideout’s speed, pointing out how such practices aren’t intended to go full-throttle.

But, now there are grumblings about the receiver’s playing weight.

Commanders analyst raises concern over Deebo Samuel’s weight

Acknowledging what Kittle also echoed about such practices not being full speed, 106.7 The Fan’s Danny Rouhier shared some thoughts about what he saw of Samuel during minicamp.

Simply put, Rouhier is concerned:

“I’m not judging the speed or how hard he’s going. I have no idea if he’s going faster or slower, medium, or anything between. He looks heavy-set. He looks heavier than I remember him looking, whether it’s a uniform thing, whether he’s wearing extra padding or something. He looks like the guy that played in San Francisco last year that they said – never quite got in shape.”

This is precisely what Niners insiders had discussed, particularly The Athletic’s Matt Barrows and the SF Standard’s Tim Kawakami, and even Samuel admitted playing heavier than his listed weight.

Perhaps this influenced a frustrating 51-catch, 670-yard receiving campaign in which the dual-threat receiver recorded a career-worst 3.2 yards per rush attempt, all but negating his once-potent dynamic of being a “wide back.”

Many San Francisco fans felt Samuel was on the decline after his jaw-dropping 2021 campaign and subsequent (and contentuous) contract extension the following offseason, and the statistics largely measure up to that argument.

Tack on the more recent weight concerns, and Rouhier’s comments are nothing new to 49ers fans at all.

Just new in Washington.

Hat time to Yagya Bhargava of Commanders Nation for the find and transcription.

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