One of the most attractive trade targets available at wide receiver this offseason is officially no longer available for the Patriots.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the 49ers have traded All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders for a fifth-round draft pick.
“A major, major move for Washington,” Rapoport said on NFL Network during their day three coverage of the NFL Scouting Combine. “Of course, we know they’ve been trying to add weapons around Jayden Daniels. And they are in that window now where they got a quarterback on a cheap deal.
“They can take on some money, and of course they do here - more than $20 million in salary for Deebo Samuel. And obviously, Adam Peters, the general manager for Washington knows Deebo well. Had him in San Francisco, believes he is a big time weapon for Kliff Kingsbury, for Jayden Daniels. Deebo Samuel, who did have permission to seek a trade, wanted a new home - he gets it, and lands in Washington.”
While Patriots fans will hear/read the above from Rapoport and be upset that they weren’t the ones with the awesome young QB on a rookie deal with lots of cap space willing to move marginal draft capital for a player with an All-Pro ceiling, it should not come as a massive surprise given the recent reporting coming out of Indianapolis.
Here’s what MassLive wrote about the prospect of Samuel as a trade target for New England on Friday, along with what they’re hearing as it relates to other veteran receivers on the block this offseason:
“San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel isn’t viewed as a good fit in Josh McDaniels’ system, according to an industry source. If Seahawks wideout D.K. Metcalf is dealt, people around the league believe it’ll be to Las Vegas to reunite with Pete Carroll. At this time, the Patriots aren’t suitors for Rams veteran Cooper Kupp in the trade market.”
This same report stated that while the Patriots would love to add a No. 1-caliber receiver to their roster, they’re skeptical that will happen ahead of the 2025 season. With a source telling MassLive that it’s looking like “Tee Higgins, Chris Godwin or bust” for New England at wideout, it looks like bust may be the leader in the clubhouse as both Higgins and Godwin are expected to re-sign with the Bengals and Buccaneers, respectively.
But with Samuel headed to Washington, one potential upgrade for Drake Maye is officially off the board.
Let’s see if head coach Mike Vrabel and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf are able to use any of their league-leading $128 million in cap space to help give their 22-year-old QB better options at receiver for his sophomore season.
Stay locked in to WEEI and WEEI.com for all the latest on the Patriots’ offseason.