Washington

Commanders

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports that the 49ers will receive a fifth-round pick in the deal. Quarterback Jayden Daniels led the team to the postseason in his rookie year, doing so with an all-new coaching staff to boot. The team now adds a veteran “Queen chess piece” in Samuel, a player that is capable of adding numerous layers to an offense already one of the more dynamic units in the league. The addition of Samuel is likely to generate more one-on-one matchups for Terry McLaurin on the perimeter, boosting the fantasy expectations of both players in the process. Brandon Aiyuk has also been rumored to be a potential trade candidate out of San Francisco this offseason, but he would stand to benefit should he remain in the bay area. As too would veteran tight end George Kittle, the latter of whom has held drastic splits with Samuel on and off the field the previous three seasons.

According to Schultz, talks over a trade have progressed recently, leaving us to wonder how soon a deal could actually get done. He adds that the Steelers and Broncos “also checked in” on a potential trade for the star receiver, but said the Commanders and Texans “are believed to be the most aggressive.” It goes without saying that both teams could use an upgrade at receiver. The Commanders have no receiver of note on the roster after Terry McLaurin, and with Tank Dell’s (knee) availability already in question for next season and Stefon Diggs unlikely to return, Samuel would make for a strong WR2 opposite Nico Collins. Samuel is a near lock to get traded this offseason after the 49ers said they would grant his wish to be moved earlier this month. Samuel’s 670 receiving yards last season marked his fewest since an injury-shortened 2022, when he appeared in just 13 games. He’s played in 15 games each of the last two seasons and has also been a regular contributor on the ground in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Samuel has one year left on his current deal and will likely require an extension from whatever team acquires him, which only adds to the cost to acquire former First-Team All-Pro.

Allen, 30, who missed most of the 2024 regular season with a pectoral injury, is signed through the 2025 season and would count as a $22.5 million cap hit this coming season. Allen could land a short-term deal with a team in need of a better interior presence, though it remains to be seen how many teams might be interested in acquiring Allen. Allen had 36 tackles for loss from 2021-2023, and was off to a hot start in 2024 before suffering his season-ending injury.

Hurney served as an advisor with the team in 2024 after being carried over from the Ron Rivera regime. Hurney, who turned 69 in December, was hired as the Commanders’ executive VP of football/player personnel in 2021 and relegated to his advisor role after the team went out and hired a new coach and general manager last offseason. With his contract now expired, Hurney is no longer with the Commanders and is free to sign with any team who may be interested in his services.

These are all teams that check the competing for a title, obvious wideout need, and/or ties to former 49ers personnel boxes. Maiocco writes that Samuel produces better in zone coverage. For a team like the Bills or Chargers, he’d add on to their run-game structure by giving them an ancillary runner and end around threat out of the backfield. It’s likely that these teams will all be bandied about as destinations for Samuel, Cooper Kupp, and most of the other big names on the market outside of Tee Higgins this offseason.

Newsome II has a $13.3 million cap hit, but all of it goes away if the Browns can find a trade partner willing to take the former first-round pick on his fifth-year option. Newsome II was hampered by a hamstring injury last season and only played in 13 games before being placed on injured reserve in December. Given the Commanders’ need at the position and how flush with cap space they are, the pairing makes some sense. It’s likely that, given Cleveland’s cap problems, Newsome II will be available for any team wanting to make a bid on him.

According to Paulsen, this information comes from “a rival team official” who said it “was made clear to him” that the Saints were ready to hire Kingsbury. Instead of taking the job, Kingsbury opted to return for another season with the Commanders and Jayden Daniels, with whom he had tremendous success in their first season. With the opportunity to focus solely on offensive play-calling, Kingsbury’s team finished fifth in scoring, seventh in total yards, and 10th in yards per play, while Daniels proved to be the runaway Rookie of the Year. Kingsbury was one of the hottest candidates on the coaching market this off-season but never met with a team for an official interview. Assuming he and the Commanders can replicate the success they enjoyed this season, Kingsbury will go right back to being a coveted name on the market next offseason.

Of course he was. Daniels had one of the best rookie campaigns ever; leading the Commanders for the NFC Title and impressing with his poise in the pocket and ability to make plays with his legs outside of it. He should be in the MVP conversation in the coming years based on everything he showed as a rookie in 2024. Daniels received 49-of-50 first-place votes, with Brock Bowers receiving the other. Bo Nix finished a distant third.

“He’s gonna have some choices this offseason,” Schefter continued. Mariota led a comeback drive to clinch the sixth seed for the Commanders in Week 18 and looked superb against the terrible Panthers defense in his other relief outing for all-world rookie Jayden Daniels. Mariota would make sense as a Tua Tagovailoa backup in Miami, and the connections to the Raiders are now obvious with Mariota’s former Oregon head coach Chip Kelly hired as their offensive coordinator.

The Jets wanted to interview Blough for their QB coach opening, but the Commanders opted to block the move at this time. Blough is now expected to remain in Washington for the 2025 season barring any unforeseen developments.