07/31/26 08:25:00
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07/30 20:44 CDT Deebo Samuel returns to the 49ers on a 1-year deal worth up to
$7M, AP source says
Deebo Samuel returns to the 49ers on a 1-year deal worth up to $7M, AP source
says
By JOSH DUBOW
AP Pro Football Writer
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) --- The San Francisco 49ers are bringing back former
All-Pro Deebo Samuel for a second stint after starting receiver Ricky Pearsall
got sidelined by a knee injury.
A person familiar with the deal said Samuel agreed on Thursday to return to the
49ers on a one-year contract worth up to $7 million. The person spoke on
condition of anonymity because the deal hadn't been announced.
NFL Network first reported the agreement.
Samuel spent his first six seasons with the 49ers after being drafted in the
second round in 2019, helping the team reach the Super Bowl twice and earning
All-Pro honors in 2021 when he had 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns.
Samuel was traded to Washington in 2025 for a fifth-round draft pick and had 72
catches for 727 yards and five TDs for the Commanders last season. He became a
free agent in March and now will join the Niners to provide reinforcement with
Pearsall out.
Samuel has 406 career catches for 5,519 yards and 27 touchdowns and has been
one of the most dynamic players after the catch in the NFL. His average of 8.7
yards after the catch on receptions rank first among all receivers with at
least 100 catches since 2019. He also has rushed for 1,218 yards and 21 TDs in
97 career games.
The move comes a day after the 49ers announced that Pearsall was sidelined with
a knee injury that could require surgery. The team said Pearsall had swelling
in the right knee that was related to the posterior cruciate ligament injury
that forced him to miss eight games in the 2025 regular season. The Niners are
concerned that the knee is still an issue after Pearsall participated in just
two practices in training camp and were evaluating all options.
Pearsall has flashed when he is healthy, but has struggled to stay on the field
since being drafted in the first round in 2024. He missed most of training camp
as a rookie with a shoulder injury and then was shot in a robbery attempt just
before the start of that season. Pearsall returned to make 31 catches for 400
yards and three TDs in 11 games.
Pearsall was slowed early last summer by a hamstring injury, but got off to a
fast start with 20 catches for 327 yards in his first four games before going
down with a knee injury in Week 4. He has 67 catches for 928 yards and three
TDs in 20 games over two seasons.
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