The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - REACTION: 49ers trade Deebo Samuel to Commanders

Episode Date: March 2, 2025

John Middlekauff offers his instant reaction to the San Francisco Forty Niners trading versatile WR, Deebo Samuel, to the Washington Commanders for a 5th round draft pick and his salary. Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest.  #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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and about from 15 other people with the rap sheet tweet, tweet as I'm losing lost $120. Not a great day for your boy out there on the on the links. The Debo Samuel has been traded to the Washington commanders for a fifth round pick and by all

indications the information I have I spent about five minutes on the internet before I press play here is that the commanders will take his salary of like $17 million this year. So the 49ers get rid of the salary and they get a fifth round pick for a guy that

a couple days ago, it was reported that Debo Samuel had asked in basically the exit meetings. Like, it's probably time. Like, I would like a trade. I would like to move on. And then John Lynch said that we will honor that. You don't often hear GMs at the Combine Press Conference talk like that. Like, we plan on honoring his wishes. If I'm reading between the lines, Debo Samuel was not going to be on the 49ers in 2025.

If he hadn't asked for a trade. Like they would have tried to trade them. I think worst case scenario, they would have cut them. So like Debo Samuel's time, the moment that season ended, he was not going to be a 49er anymore. Now, I want to say this because I think sometimes in these moments, there's going to be a lot of like, I saw on 49er land, we got rid of his salary. That is a huge win. We don't have to eat any of the money.

We get rid of it. And listen, usually for most players, especially a guy who has been a key piece on one of the best teams in the league over the course of his career. It doesn't end that well sometimes, right? And Debo Samuel did not have a good season, but he's a fucking war daddy. And when Debo is right, he is a championship level player. I mean, some of the biggest 49er wins of the Kyle Shanahan era, and there have been a lot. They won a lot of playoff games.

They want a lot of huge regular season games, primetime games. And that guy was a big reason. Now, the guy we saw last season was not that version of Debo that had been, you know, one of the key pieces to one of the best teams in the league. I do believe this. And I'm a Debo Samuel. I'm a huge fan because I believe in the NFL to win at the highest level, like you need war daddies on Sunday. And Debo Samuel's versatility, his physicality, and just his mindset in these big games. Like, you want guys like that in the trenches with you.

with you. And I think for the commanders, like, when Cliff was in Arizona, he used a lot. Ron Dale Moore. They had another little guy, and Debo's not little, but he used versatile pieces. So to me, you get this guy, Adam Peter knows him well, right? He was part of the front office that not only drafted him, but for all those years that had a front row seat right there with John Lynch when Debo was making huge plays. And I will say this, I've been to a ton of NFL games in my lifetime. And in 2000, it probably would have been

either late December, 2021 or early January, 2002. The 49ers had to win the game in Los Angeles to make the playoffs. If they did not win the game, they would not have made the playoffs. And they were getting their teeth kicked in

in the first half. I think the score at halftime was either 17 to 3 or 20 to 3. I was there. It felt like 100 to nothing. It was like, the Niners are about to lose this game, 45 to 10, and not make the playoffs. Debo Samuel had, I would say, in my life going to games, as good of a game, a good of a half as I've ever seen.

I think he ran for a touchdown. He threw a touchdown. He basically became their running back. This is pre-Christian McCaffrey. He was an absolute war daddy, running guys over, running through guys, making plays in the past. He was elite. He really was. And he had so many of those games.

and this is a team like the commanders who need to bring in a guy like Debo Samuel minus 2024 has been a part of winning consistently and he's played a key role and to me there's a physical element to his game that just translates in big games now I think a lot of people will say well he's just not the same guy he's a lot of miles on those tires he's 29 years old I promise you this I would bet on Debo Samuel not for the next 10 years not for the next 10 years not for the next five years, but I would not be shocked at all if you get the best version of them

in these next couple years. And specifically in 2025, I think the commanders are going to get a good player in 2025. I think he's going to be motivated. I think he's going to play well. Because last year, you know, for his standards, for 49ers standards, and for, you know, a guy making a lot of money

and viewed as a really good player, what was a really bad season. Now, he's battled injuries over the years from shoulders to hamstrings, you know, weight, been a concern, but I will say this. I love guys in the sport that you know when the biggest games happen, you can win with that guy and you can rely on that guy. And honestly, if he's playing well, he can carry you at points in time in those individual games. And I have seen Debo do that

for half a decade for the 49ers. So, I mean, it's a sad day. You know, it's weird, right? It's a business and you got to move on, you unload contracts, but like a huge part of the Kyle Shanahan's success. And Kyle's gotten multiple contract extensions. Like this guy's played a huge role. And the commanders know that well because Adam Peters has been there. And plus, like I said, with Cliff Kingsbury using a versatile player like this, but this is also the benefit when you are a team like Washington or all these teams with big cap space, you can go, well, we can basically get them on a year to year basis. So we don't have to pay like a true quote unquote free agent, huge money.

And if we get one really good year out of Debo, if we can get 75 catches, he can play some running back, he can return some kicks, if he can give us, you know, seven to eight touchdowns and kind of show guys what it takes physicality to play with the Eagles. I mean, Debo, even though AJ's his guy, like hates the Eagles. So I think you bring that guy in. Like I like the move for Washington. like the move for the 49ers. And this is also why in the draft, like last year the Niners took a bunch of shifts. Like you're taking Ricky Pearsall, you don't need a wide receiver.

I mean, at the time, Iuk's holding out. You already got Debo under contract. Jowan Jennings, you know, is kind of an up-and-coming player. And I remember learning years ago early on in my NFL career, I think Lewis Riddick told me this one time. And it's so true. Anytime you think you have a strength, and it's true, like the Eagles can have a really good offensive line. Then all of a sudden you get a couple injuries and all of a sudden your strength can become a weakness. Not for them because they have about 10 offensive linemen on the team. But like the 49ers, all of a sudden, Iyuk gets hurt, Debo's banged up and you look at the wide receiver room, you're like, what the hell?

But then toward the end of the season, Ricky Pearsall comes in. It's why you never draft for need. You just take the best player on your board. And by the end of the season, Pierce all looked pretty good. And now they're really going to have to depend on them. And one of the things with Pearsall was like going over the middle, breaking tackles, you know, playing that physical role. and now moving forward like

you know it's going to be Purdy it's going to be Christian McCaffrey it's going to be George Kittle and it's going to be Ricky Pearsall with Brandon Ayuk and Joanne Jennings so this is a big hole for the 49ers like this is a guy that they have not only relied on for a long time but built game plans around

and that's what I think makes the commander situation a little unique they already got you know a true number one in Terry McLaren I'm sure in this draft they will probably like to me they either need a tight end or a running back and on the second day they're going to be really good tight end and running backs on the board if you can get kind of a bellwether running back and use debo as kind of a slot player terry you know on the outside with jaden mcdaniels

that's called jaden mcdaniels been a long day jaden daniels um yeah man i i i think this is also in football when you leave to another team uh and you make these moves you feel so much more comfortable pulling the trigger on a trade like this and really if you're the commanders it's just do we want to allocate whatever, $17 million of cap space or whatever sometimes trades make it a little different but 15 to 20 million

whatever the specific number is on our books because of the fifth rounder who gives a shit? Like if Debo's a starter and playing well whether we're paying him 15 or 18 like are we cool with this guy being on the team and there are probably some teams that were interested but if you don't have a coach on the staff who's worked with them you don't actually know them

personally, you know, there are a lot of things out there. Well, he's been banged up. Wait, it's been an issue. Like, Adam Peters knows him really well. You know, he honestly couldn't know him that much better. So you're much more comfortable making a move like this. And, yeah, I just think that it's kind of the end of an era. The 49ers are in a weird spot because they're in a transitional period,

but they're going to have huge expectations next year. It's not like it's going to be any different. And the commanders just kind of add to their war chest. and let's face it. Like, they were just in the NFC championship game. A little fluky in the sense that, like, you know, they played the Lions who were just fucking decimated on defense. Not fluky with the quarterback,

but Commander fans will acknowledge. Like, their roster hosts Jaden Daniels and, like, McLaurin and a couple other guys, isn't that great? It's going to be dramatically better this season with a, with free agency, another draft, adding guys like Debo. So you're going to feel that, like, maybe our record. They could win 11 games where last year they won 12

and be a much better team. And having a guy like Debo also like throw it to them on screens, throw it to them behind the line of scrimmage. It gives you a lot of easy layups. Now, he dropped the ball a lot last year, which I think drove the 49ers nuts. And I do think this gets back to last year in the Super Bowl. If you depend on Debo to be kind of like

your go-to wide receiver, he's not just getting open with, out routes and slant routes and like he couldn't get open against the chiefs and that was something and tim kowakami has reported on this for years uh i guess a year is like that kind of bothered the 49ers which to me it's like i remember being at that super bowl two years ago in Vegas and being with the chiefs they're like yeah we don't think debo's not going to like get open on us it's like yeah guys like that's not really debo's thing and i think sometimes Kyle could be kind of hardheaded with him and uh the relationship had just ran its course but

you know, I'm sad. I thoroughly enjoyed the Debo Samuel experience. I just saw him. When I was flying out to New Orleans, he was on my plane. I thought he looks good. I mean, he's just, he's a very unique body type, right? Because when you stand next to him, he doesn't look like these wide receivers. They're like linear and thinner.

He's just a thick dude. I mean, he's built definitely in his lower body, much more like a running back or a linebacker. but to me the mindset and the way he plays when he's going is something you don't teach you know even in at the highest level of football some guys want contact more than others i don't blame any guy that it doesn't want contact i mean you get fucking mollywop by some safety or linebacker running a four four it's going to hurt debo seeks that shit out and a huge part of the 49ers point of difference over the years has been like we're going to get in a heavyweight fight and we're going to break you and they did that the cowboys a couple times

They used to do that to the Rams all the time. And then the Rams, I think because losing the 49er so often, the regular season, like their team's a lot more physical now. And look at the players that they just got in Puka Nakua. Like, that stuff always translate. Now, Puka is a much better route runner and a quote-unquote true wide receiver. But overall, I think it's an easy trade for Washington to make. It's a no-brainer trade if you're going to trade Debo.

Like, you weren't going to get much to unload his salary to not have to eat any of the money. And listen, I'm not some like sappy guy when it comes to this, but it is kind of sad. I mean, it's just kind of the end of a run. I mean, this was kind of, I mean, he was the core group of Trent, Fred Warner, George Kittle, Brandon Ayuk, you know, even Christian McCaffrey, like just showed up a couple years ago. You know, Debo's got drafted, like his rookie year was 2019, the year they made the Super Bowl. And by the end of the season, he was really coming on. And then the team that went to conference championship after conference championship after conference championship.

And he really got that started back to that year in the 2021 season when he kind of carried them into the playoffs before McCafferick showed up the following year. He could play running back, which I think at this point in time in his career. And listen, I don't know if it was injuries. I don't know if it was, I mean, maybe he is losing a little bit of a step, but he definitely wasn't as fast playing running back. I thought a couple years ago he could just turn into a running back. and if he had been a full-time running back,

could have ran for 13, 1,400 yards. The 49ers, whenever they tried to use him doing that stuff this year, didn't quite look the same, definitely didn't quite look as fast. But then there would be moments late in the season where he would show it a little bit when he caught the ball.

So overall, like I said, I still think he's got good football left, and I would expect a good season from him. If he can stay healthy, it would not shock me at all if he has a very, very productive season for a team, like, let's face it. In a weird way, you know, the commander's expectations because of what happened last

year are going to be outrageous. They're going to be, especially if they have a good, they land a couple solid free agents, they have a good draft. They're going to be viewed as a team. It's like, well, you made the conference championship last year. Your roster is much better. That you can rely on this guy to win big games. And he can go to war when you're playing like the Philadelphia Eagles, when you're playing the Detroit Lions or the Minnesota Vikings or the Rams or the He's a guy that you feel very comfortable. It's like he's on my squad. And they're just, you know, besides like the elite elite guys,

which he's not in that tier. But once you get to that next tier of guy, and this is where it was kind of out of whack with the 49ers, because it was like he was in his weird, his own little tier and he wasn't producing, but yet he was making a lot of money. And it's why usually you see some breakups at this point in time. And any time to me as a general manager,

when you can acquire a guy you know for nothing. Like to me, here's the other thing. With NIL, the drafts in like the fifth, sixth, seventh round suck compared to what they used to be. You know why? Because the amount of kids that go back to school that would have been in the draft, right? Because I'll just play out.

I get paid to NIL. I get paid to stay. So the end of the draft used to be better because more underclassmen would come out. Not every underclassman is like the 10th overall pick. Their juniors getting drafted in the second and third round because it used to be like, well, I need the money, right? I don't come from much. How do I turn down getting a four-year contract and making a million dollars a year?

It's like now I'll just stay at Texas A&M or UCLA or Washington or you name the school. And they're paying me $2 million. dollars and I can technically keep improving theoretically and in a year get drafted even higher while I'm banking 800 grand a million dollars which is guaranteed because you know in football you get pushed down the draft all of a sudden you're a fourth fifth rounder you're not even guaranteed to make the team and all of a sudden you're on the practice squad which for most people in society it's like almost $200,000 a year great gig but $200,000 a year if I'm a starter at fucking Texas or Florida or Florida state like 200 grand ain't a starter.

starting money is like 750, 900, a million, and a car and all this other stuff. So I think that you got to factor that into, I would always, if I had cap space, and I felt comfortable acquiring, you know, in this example, Debo Samuel, I wouldn't even hesitate. And I have a ton of cap space. The other thing with free agency, and I love talking about free agency as much as the next guy, when you actually see the list of guys available, it's pretty random. It's not a bunch of

superstar players You don't look at the free agent market And you go Well the three quarterbacks are Herbert Jalen Hertz and Brock Purdy The two tight ends are Mark Andrews and George Kittle The running back is like Sequan's an outlier A lot of times when you see free agents that hit

It's not always these guys getting big money Sometimes it's like random guys Like Zach Bond one year three million Like struck oil Because most elite guys Or just high-end pro-end pro-eatting bowl impact players get extended. In worst case scenario, I can't extend you.

Can't see Chiefs, franchise tag. Now, sometimes a franchise tag ends up getting traded or moves teams. But one thing in my experience, being around the NFL, working in it, doing this, podcasting now for a long time, and this time of year, free agency is not like these other sports. Like when Juan Soto or Aaron Judge or Kevin Durant or whatever are hitting free agency, they're 100% hitting free agency. In the NFL, it's like, these five guys are free agents.

They're all pros. All of them either get franchise tagged or extended. That always happens. So the sweet free agent, I mean, one of the best free agents over the last couple years, I remember Christian Kirk was like the top wide receiver. He ended up being good for the Jags. But it's usually not like, well, Chase and CD Lamb are hitting free agency. It's not the way it works.

So when you feel comfortable doing this with a late round pick and you got the money, it's a no-brainer. and listen, part of, and here's the other thing with the commanders. And the 49ers benefited from this the last couple of years with Purdy, making a million bucks. When you have a guy, and because you're the number two overall pick with, you know, in the draft, you're not making a million dollars. Jaden's making $6, 7, 8 million.

But relative to these other guys making 40 to 60, it is a huge, huge advantage for you to land players. and one of the ways to essentially land free agents now are guys that teams want to get rid of and use a late round pick. You're basically just bailing them out of the salary and you're acquiring a player. And you don't have to give some contract to him.

He's already under contract. So you just take the contract and you basically get to operate year to year. So yeah, I guess my overall reaction is no-brainer move for Washington. I'm excited to watch the Ebo. I think he's going to be good. No-brainer move for the game.

the 49ers. You get a draft pick, you unload the salary. I also just think, like, it's kind of sad. I mean, I watch this guy, I watch every snap of the 49ers, and he's played in a lot of huge games and had a lot of huge moments. And you could feel it kind of slipping this year, not like,

obviously he had a bad year, but I just mean like the mojo with the team, everything was off. I mean, this was the guy for a couple years in like the peak when they were rattling off like 12, 13 wins, would like lead the team out of the tunnel with Trent Williams. Like, they were the tandem with the boom box.

And now that's over. So I think you kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel with this 49er team. Like they got to shift. And John Lynch mentioned that. Like we got to get younger. We got to pivot off some guys and starts with Debo. And I know there were also some rumors about Brandon Ayuk being available. I don't know why anyone would trade for Brandon Ayuk when he had an ACL, MCL and like ligaments.

So I feel pretty confident that Brandon Ayuk will be on. the team, but hell, you never say never in pro sports. But Washington commanders now have Debo Samuel. Who would have saw that coming at the days beginning? The volume. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions.

Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, we're just a strong way to put it. You know, tired and sick, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. And every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source. the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicalife-Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on,

a Mormon polygamist, and an Armenian businessman. Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, billion dollar fraud. But how long can this alliance last? Tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.