ASHBURN, Va. — After the Washington Commanders traded for him, then assured the final 12 months of his contract, receiver Deebo Samuel stated he needs to repay them for believing in him.
“They put this a lot belief in me,” Samuel stated. “I am unable to are available in right here and allow them to down.”
Washington acquired Samuel from San Francisco for a fifth-round decide in a deal settlement on March 1 and made official 11 days later. Samuel had requested a commerce after the season.
Washington declined his choice bonus of $15.4 million that might have allowed the Commanders to unfold out his cap hit over two seasons by including one other 12 months to his deal — however which might have been routinely voided.
As a substitute, the Commanders assured the final 12 months of his contract — none of which had been beforehand assured — and added one other $3 million in incentives. He’ll rely $17.55 million vs. Washington’s cap.
In the meantime, Washington additionally signed receiver Michael Gallup to a one-year deal. He retired final 12 months after signing with Las Vegas shortly after being lower by Dallas.
For Samuel, Washington represents a contemporary begin after six seasons with San Francisco. In his first press convention for the reason that commerce Samuel stated asking the 49ers to commerce him was “harder than you assume” however that he cannot wait to point out his new workforce what he can nonetheless do.
“They’re getting a motivated Deebo,” he stated by way of a video convention name. “You get a dawg on the market. These younger legs are nonetheless shifting, this physique continues to be working fairly properly.”
Samuel had instructed 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan after the season that he wished to be traded.
Washington was considered one of 5 groups on Samuel’s checklist of desired organizations. He stated the explanation was easy — and his reply highlighted Washington’s fast transformation as a corporation.
“I like winners,” Samuel stated. “I am not considered one of your largest losers. They have a very good workforce for positive and so they had been simply standing out.”
Washington completed 12-5 — its first profitable season since 2016 — and misplaced within the NFC Championship Recreation to Philadelphia. It was the workforce’s first playoff win for the reason that 2005 season.
The Commanders have a standout younger quarterback in Jayden Daniels — who gained the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the 12 months this previous season — that additionally appealed to Samuel.
He stated former 49ers teammate Brandon Aiyuk, who performed with Daniels at Arizona State, continually raved concerning the quarterback.
“That is all B.A. used to speak about, ‘My boy is about to win the Heisman. My boy is about to do that, my boy’s about to try this,'” Samuel stated. “He gained the Heisman and got here to the league and performed extraordinarily properly. Every part Aiyuk stated would occur, occurred.
“Simply to see him develop and see how properly he performed final 12 months I used to be like, man why not attempt to come over right here and assist in any side that I can.”
That is what he did in San Francisco, serving to the 49ers as a receiver (4,792 yards, 22 touchdowns) and as a runner (1,143 yards, 20 touchdowns). However Samuel was not as dynamic final 12 months whereas battling a number of accidents. He completed with solely 806 yards from scrimmage — the one time he completed with fewer yards occurred when he performed solely seven video games in 2020.
However he stated it was time to go away. That did not make it straightforward to ask coach Kyle Shanahan for a commerce.
“One of many hardest issues was strolling into the workplace and speaking to Kyle about this due to the connection we constructed,” he stated. “He was my coach on the Senior Bowl. He is at all times been a person of his phrase. It was a troublesome dialog. However we each understood the place I used to be coming from, and I understood the place he was coming from.”
Samuel additionally stated others round him are motivated to assist him as properly, declaring how his brother not too long ago known as him to see if he’d labored out that day.
“Everybody needs to see me take my sport to a degree I do not assume it may possibly go,” he stated, “however everybody says there’s one other degree so I will push myself to that degree.”
For Gallup, Washington represents an opportunity to resurrect his profession. He caught 266 passes in six seasons with Dallas — three of which occurred when Washington coach Dan Quinn was Dallas’ defensive coordinator.
Gallup stated he wasn’t “in the fitting head house” final season so he wished to step away.
“The way in which I used to be let go from being in some place for thus lengthy after which leaping to a complete different workforce and never having the ability to course of it,” Gallup stated. “I by no means went by means of that earlier than. It was quick for me and I wasn’t there but.”
However, he stated, he at all times knew he’d attempt to get again into the NFL. He’d watch video games together with his son and stated “each time we turned on the sport it was like, I must be on the market making performs, too.”
Gallup averaged 15.6 yards per catch in his first three seasons; he averaged 11.9 yards over his final three years. In 2023 Gallup caught 34 passes for 418 yards.
“There’s lots of meat on that bone,” Gallup stated. “I’ve obtained lots of fireplace up in me.”
