NFL Rumors: Deebo Samuel preferred Texans over other teams before Commanders trade

Posted by author March 2, 2025 NFL

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While Deebo Samuel is headed to the Washington Commanders, the Houston Texans were considered a contender to land him ahead of free agency.

Other teams contacted the San Francisco 49ers about the price, but Samuel had a say in his next destination.

In the end, two teams stood above the rest.

According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russinni, the Texans and Commanders were Samuel’s preferred destinations should he have been traded. Given the Commanders’ cap space situation and general manager Adam Peters’ previous relationship with the Niners, the deal made sense.

Samuel heads to D.C. as the No.2 weapon behind Pro Bowler Terry McLaurin and as another threat for offensive rookie of the year Jayden Daniels. In return, the Niners will receive a fifth-round pick and won’t pay the remainder of Samuel’s $17.55 million salary.

The Texans are keeping their options open entering free agency to find a stable No. 2 target for C.J. Stroud. This includes a reunion with All-Pro Stefon Diggs, who was limited to eight games after suffering a torn ACL in October against the Indianapolis Colts.

“We loved having Stef on our team, we’ll see how things work out with him,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said at the NFL scouting combine. “Stef, you talk about energy, you talk about leadership, he brought a lot to our team.”

General manager Nick Caserio mentioned throughout the week in Indianapolis that conversations between the two sides have been fluid but a deal isn’t imminent entering the final days of the 2024 calendar season. From a locker room standpoint, the team views him as a strong fit to only help the passing game improve in 2025.

“Stef is rehabbing, he’s going to be a free agent here,” Caserio said. “We’re going to have discussions with all of our free agents. Stef did a lot of good things for our team. We’re certainly open to bringing him back. We’ll go through the process here.”