The San Francisco 49ers agreed to trade wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders on Saturday, less than two months after he requested a trade from the team following the 2024 season.
Samuel leaves for Washington D.C. following one of the worst of his six seasons in San Francisco. Over the 2024 season, Samuel was nowhere near as explosive as he was in 2021 or 2023. A reported reason for Samuel's lack of playmaking in 2024—his physical shape.
The Athletic's Matt Barrows went on Tim Kawakami's podcast following the trade, and appeared to confirm Kawakami's report that Samuel was 20 pounds overweight last season.
“I’m not going to say the number, but I asked what was Deebo’s high point weight wise last season and it meshes with what you said a couple of weeks ago," Barrows told Kawakami on The TK Show. "It got really high and there may have been reasons for that. Not able to work out because of pneumonia. Not able to work out because of injuries. But that’s a concern. I think the 49ers had that concern the minute he showed up in Santa Clara in 2019 and it never fully went away.”
Samuel responded to that report on X, reposting the quote with a message clarifying his weight: "225 to be exact. ... Can’t wait till this season start. Fresh start new Bo."
225 to be exact…. Can’t wait till this season start. Fresh start new Bo🥶 https://t.co/d7OBieGoFN
— Deebo (@19problemz) March 3, 2025
Barrows has reported that Samuel's weight has fluctuated over his time with the 49ers. Samuel weighed in at 214 pounds at the NFL scouting combine back in 2019, and according to Barrows, the 49ers wanted Samuel to weigh in at 210-212 pounds. Over time, Barrows says that goal changed to San Francisco wanting Samuel to avoid crossing 220 pounds.
From the end of Samuel's post, "Fresh start new Bo," it does seem Samuel is motivated to rebound from 2024. Though his play and weight have fluctuated over his career, Samuel has shown the ability to improve his conditioning. Back in 2023, Samuel caused coach Kyle Shanahan to famously say "Never had a grown man send me so many pictures with his shirt off" as Samuel tracked his training progress. Samuel went on to record over 1,000 total yards from scrimmage for the second time in his career.
Samuel will have a great opportunity to use his fresh start with the Commanders as motivation to try to get back to the player he was back in 2023. By joining a new team that has high expectations and only sent a fifth-round pick to acquire him, Samuel has plenty to prove in Washington D.C.
More of the Latest Around the NFL
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Deebo Samuel Clarifies Weight Amid Concerns After Trade to Commanders.