The San Francisco 49ers are sending Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders in exchange for a rookie quarterback, with the deal being labeled as a salary dump by some. The trade makes sense given that the 49ers will take on only $17.55 million of Samuel’s $31.02 million contract, while Washington can absorb the dead money due to their quarterback’s rookie deal.
The trade comes after the 49ers restructured Samuel’s contract ahead of the 2024 regular season, saving them over $16 million in cap space but adding two additional years to his contract with void charges of $20.8 million and $10.75 million. Experts argue that the 49ers should not have restructured Samuel’s deal, as it only added complexity and dead money.
This move is part of a pattern for the 49ers, who have consistently navigated salary cap issues to stay competitive. While the trade may look beneficial at first glance, the long-term implications of absorbing Samuel’s contract are unclear. As one expert noted, paying large sums of dead money can be a costly proposition, and the 49ers will need to carefully manage their cap space moving forward.
The deal highlights the challenges of managing salary cap in the NFL, where teams must balance competing interests between short-term gains and long-term sustainability. As the trade unfolds, it will be interesting to see how both teams navigate the complexities of the deal.
Source: https://www.ninersnation.com/2025/3/3/24376877/49ers-deebo-samuel-dead-cap-salary-cap-dee-ford-arik-armstead