Daily Slop – 15 Feb 25 – 49ers insider predicts Deebo Samuel will be cut, not traded, due to cap considerations

A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders

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NFL.com

NFL rookie grades: Ranking each 2024 draft class, from No. 1 to 32

1 – Washington Commanders – Class grade: A

Yes, Jayden Daniels is the biggest reason Washington tops this ranking, but he isn’t the only reason. In his first draft as a general manager, Adam Peters selected impact starters on both sides of the football, helping the Commanders go from 4-13 cellar-dwellers to 12-5 NFC Championship Game participants.

That said, Peters’ first pick did provide an outsized benefit, giving Washington the league’s most valuable commodity: a true franchise quarterback. Posting the highest completion percentage (69.0) and the most rushing yards (891) by a rookie quarterback in NFL history, Daniels tormented foes via arm and legs.

Frankly, though, his most remarkable trait might be his eternally calm demeanor. No moment was too big, no task too daunting — and that’s a quality reflected by courageous cover man Mike Sainristil. The 5-foot-9, 182-pounder was drafted to play nickel, but the Commanders’ perimeter cornerbacks couldn’t hold their own in the first two weeks of the season, so Washington sent Sainristil outside. The rookie answered the bell with aplomb, finishing the season with four interceptions, including two in Washington’s playoff upset of Detroit.

Add in 15 starts (including playoffs) at left tackle from Brandon Coleman as well as under-the-radar disruption from DT Jer’Zhan Newton, and one overriding sentiment becomes even more pronounced: It’s a brand new day for football in the nation’s capital.

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The Athletic (paywall)

NFL’s best playoff moments 2025: Game-winning doink, Super Bowl birthday pick six

Wild card

Everything that was Commanders-Bucs: For the regular-season list, we vowed the world would be a better place if it had more Bengals-Ravens games. Similarly, Washington and Tampa Bay yielded spiritual affirmation and rich entertainment. Mike Evans beat longtime rival Marshon Lattimore for a 10-10 tie right before halftime. The Bucs led 17-13 after three quarters. Then, the delirium — two fourth-and-goal tries from Daniels in the first five minutes of the fourth; a grinding, old-school, game-tying march from Baker Mayfield; a tense final drive that really, for real ended like this:

Divisional

A surreal second quarter: For a moment, Commanders-Lions was football apotheosis. All of this happened within eight minutes of regulation:

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Washington Post (paywall)

At forum, Bowser won’t rule out public funds for NFL stadium at RFK

The mayor’s vision is likely to face intense scrutiny from a divided D.C. Council and their constituents, who are not all convinced that it would be good for city taxpayers.

Bowser called a football stadium “the fastest and surest route to developing the site,” a 177-acre swath of land on the banks of the Anacostia River that the city recently secured control of after years of negotiations in Congress.

“Until we have a modern stadium, we will not be able to host events like the world is used to, including a World Cup, including a Super Bowl — and yes, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift,” said Bowser.

Bowser said she plans to work with the Commanders, who now play in Landover, Maryland, to convince them D.C. is the best location and reach terms that she believes will benefit residents. Her administration will also propose plans for the rest of the site — which could include housing, a large indoor sportsplex run by the city’s parks and recreation department, and other commercial development, Bowser said.

Bowser’s vision is likely to face intense scrutiny from a divided D.C. Council and their constituents, who are not all convinced that an NFL stadium would be a good bet for city taxpayers. And in this case, city lawmakers have leverage: Any plan using public dollars will have to go through them. The question of whether taxpayer money will help fund a football stadium — and if so, how much — is shaping up to be one of this year’s largest political battles in the District.

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Riggo’s Rag

5 free agent WRs not named Tee Higgins the Commanders could pursue in 2025

The Commanders have options to strengthen their wide receiver room.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is a legitimate big receiver. He is 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds. He will not blind anyone with speed, but the former Indiana Hoosier has developed into a steady producer since signing with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2020.

He has always been a physical pass catcher, very good in contested catch situations. That resulted in nine touchdowns this season.

Commanders fans should remember that. He scored two against Washington in Week 13. On the first, he sprinted past Mike Sainristil. On the second, he absorbed a big hit from Jeremy Chinn on the goal line and held on.

Like Slayton, Westbrook-Ikhine is a good guy. We know this because last month the local writers in Nashville presented him with the Eddie George PFWA Good Guy Award.

There will come a time when Peters has to stop shopping for bargains and spend some of his money on a true game-changer. Maybe that will be Higgins this year. I would prefer that he do it on a player like Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, or best of all, Myles Garrett.

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Articles

CBS Sports

Agent’s Take: Why Browns dealing Myles Garrett won’t be easy; what trade compensation for star could look like

Garrett, eyeing a fresh start, is in line to be NFL’s highest-paid non-QB again

He is scheduled to make $19,796,125 in 2025 and $25 million in 2026 for a total of $44,796,125 over the two years.

Fitting Garrett into another team’s salary cap isn’t the biggest impediment to a trade besides Cleveland’s unwillingness to part with him. It’s the cap consequences for the Browns by trading Garrett.

Thanks to the restructure and the option bonuses, the Browns will have $36,216,220 of dead money, a salary cap charge for a player no longer on a team’s roster, by…trading Garrett [ahead of] the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.

The Browns are between $24.924 million and $34.924 million over the projected 2025 salary cap, which is expected to be in the $265 million to $275 million range.

There are two 2025 option bonuses in Garrett’s contract. Obviously, Garrett, the Browns and the acquiring team could agree to push back this option exercise deadline if necessary with a trade in the works.

The deadline for the second option is seven days prior to the start of the 2025 regular season, which should be Aug. 28.

To keep the dead money charges as low as possible for 2025 in either case, the Browns would need to renounce the options and move the option bonus money into 2026.

This maneuver was made in 2023 prior to Aaron Rodgers’ trade from the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets. It was necessary to prevent the Packers from having adverse cap consequences in 2023.

The Browns would be able to split the dead money over 2025 and 2026 with a trade after June 1.

The acquiring team would be getting Garrett with two years remaining on his contract for $39,796,125.

Presumably, the acquiring team or the Browns will be extending Garrett’s contract in 2025. Garrett’s existing contract is outdated. In four years, he has gone from the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback at $25 million per year to tied for the 20th-highest paid. Garrett had two years left on his rookie contract when he signed the extension.

A new Garrett deal should top Jefferson’s $35 million per year. The contract Garrett signed in 2020 was a 6.38% increase over the top of the existing non-quarterback market. A similar increase this time around would put Garrett at $37.25 million per year.

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49erswebzone.com

Insider delivers bad news to fans hoping for a 49ers-Deebo Samuel reconciliation

This time feels different. The 49ers don’t appear to be fighting Samuel on his latest trade request. In fact, they’ve given him and his agent permission to explore trade options. Unlike 2022, the two sides seem headed for an inevitable split.

Samuel remains a fan favorite, but Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard has bad news for those holding onto hope for another reconciliation.

“Checked around a little on the Deebo Samuel situation,” Kawakami wrote on social media. “I asked if this is at all similar to 2022, when he asked to be traded, the 49ers looked, but then he came back on a new deal.”

Kawakami added, “I’m told, no, this is not similar. Everybody’s set for Deebo to be an ex-49er soon.”

Samuel will count $15.87 million against the salary cap [if he stays with the team] in 2025. Trading him before June 1 would instead leave the 49ers with a massive $31.55 million dead cap hit.

The team could…release Samuel [with a Post-June 1 designation] and let him choose his next destination, reducing their cap penalty. However, that scenario would mean getting nothing in return for the talented playmaker.

Insiders: 49ers convinced Deebo Samuel relationship is over, release is likely outcome

Kawakami wondered if the 49ers were merely allowing Samuel to gauge his true market value, potentially leading to a return if the interest wasn’t what he expected. He quickly dismissed that notion.

“I checked. It is not that,” Kawakami said on the 49ers +/- podcast. “I have heard that the two sides are separating, in their minds. Now, things can change. Who knows? If he has no opportunities out there, that might be different. But I don’t think he has no opportunities if the 49ers release him. He might even get a nice new deal, but as a released player, not as a traded player, more likely.

“And that the two sides are—I don’t want to say irreconcilable—but it’s likely that the two sides have decided that they’re [ready to] separate.”

Kawakami said. “He is not in shape. I said it on last week’s podcast—20 pounds. I keep hearing it, 20 pounds overweight. And that led to a lot of his lack of explosion, in their belief, his lack of ability to get through tackles, [which has] kind of been who he is.”

Matt Barrows of The Athletic, believes the 49ers will ultimately release Samuel. Trading him is complicated, as doing so before June 1 would result in a dead-cap hit twice as large as simply keeping him. However, the 49ers could reduce the salary-cap impact by designating him a post-June 1 release.

You can listen to the entire conversation below.

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Cap Casualties

Over the Cap

Dolphins Save $7.89M in Cap Room with Release of Raheem Mostert, Kendall Fuller, Durham Smythe

This was an expected release as Mostert had seen his playing time drop significantly this season despite the team signing him to a one year, $4.1 million extension last April which saw Mostert receive about a $1M raise for 2024.

• Mostert was going to count for $3.9 million on the cap and Miami will now take on a dead charge of $1 million for 2025. Mostert had been with the Dolphins since 2022.
• Cornerback Kendall Fuller signed a two year, $15 million contract last March with $7.795 million guaranteed. Fuller had another $2.025 million becoming guaranteed on March 15, 2025. The move saves Miami $2.76 million for 2025.
• Tight end Durham Smythe was a cap casualty a year before his contract was scheduled to void, creating $2.18 million in cap savings.

Prior to the release we had estimated Miami to be about $13 million above the salary cap and that may be a generous estimate as they are a team that may have been hit hard by incentives that will create a negative adjustment for their cap in 2025.

Over the Cap

Pittsburgh Steelers release Preston Smith, creating $13.4 million in cap savings

Pittsburgh Steelers announced the release of veteran edge rusher Preston Smith, saving the team $13.4 million in both cap and cash for the 2025 league year. Pittsburgh traded for Smith from the Green Bay Packers during the 2024 season for a 2025 7th-round draft pick. However, the Steelers did not see much return in value in the acquisition of Smith, ultimately keeping him inactive the final two games of the season. The release will give Pittsburgh over $52 million in available cap space heading into free agency.

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Discussion topics

ESPN

2025 NFL predictions: Super Bowl 60 picks, MVP, breakouts

What’s your early Super Bowl LX pick?

Dan Graziano, national NFL reporter: Chiefs over Commanders. I’m not taking the result of one game to mean the Chiefs are done winning Super Bowls with Patrick Mahomes. Look forward to two weeks of “Is Jayden Daniels the next Mahomes?” conversations leading up to the Super Bowl next season.

Pamela Maldonado, sports betting analyst: Bengals over Commanders. Bold predictions are not for the weak. The Bengals are looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2024 season, and the Commanders are an intriguing long shot after making the NFC Championship Game. With significant cap space, both teams could make impactful moves to bolster their rosters and make the big game.

Who’s your pick for next season’s MVP?

Graziano: Jayden Daniels, QB, Commanders. No team has repeated as NFC East champion in 20 years. So since the Eagles can’t win the division, I say Washington builds on Daniels’ rookie success and continues to ascend quickly.

Moody:Daniels. He was recognized as the Offensive Rookie of the Year and finished seventh in MVP voting. The Commanders have roughly $59 million in cap space, per Roster Management System, along with seven draft picks, so they can continue to build around him.

Thiry: Daniels. With a season of experience, including a postseason upset of the top-seeded Lions, the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year will continue his meteoric rise. The key in his ability to do so? The Commanders’ retention of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, providing Daniels the continuity to grow at a rapid pace.

What is one move you want to see this offseason?

Bowen: Wide receiver Tee Higgins signs with the Commanders. Adding another perimeter target for quarterback Jayden Daniels should be an offseason priority for Washington. It has the cap space to pair Higgins with Terry McLaurin, giving Daniels two difference-makers in the passing game.

Maldonado: The Giants trade up for the No. 1 pick to draft quarterback Cam Ward from Miami. The ripple effects across the draft would be wild, and pairing Ward with young talent such as Malik Nabers could be a thing of beauty.

Reid: Higgins signs with the Commanders. Daniels can take a big step forward with the help of Higgins. And for the rest of the NFC East, Higgins and McLaurin will prove to be a nightmare pairing.

Walder: Cornerback D.J. Reed signs with the Commanders. With Daniels on his rookie contract for a few more years, the time is now for Washington — and it has the cap space to add a bounty of talent. Reed has consistently been a strong corner for the Jets over the past three seasons, and he would make a strong tandem with Mike Sainristil.

Name one team, coach or player who will break out in the 2025 season.

Tannenbaum:Jayden Daniels, QB, Commanders. With a full offseason, he’ll vault into superstar status. Washington will certainly enhance its offensive line and depth at skill positions, and Daniels will only continue to improve.

Which team will take a step back in the 2025 season?

Schatz: Commanders. When a team pulls off a magical run to the conference championship despite not being one of the two or three best teams in the conference, you usually see a step back the following season. And when quarterbacks are as good as Jayden Daniels was as a rookie, they usually don’t take the step forward that fans expect because they’re already very good and there’s not much room to improve.

Maldonado: Lions. Losing both their offensive and defensive coordinators presents a major challenge, as history shows teams often struggle in similar situations. While the Lions are loaded with talent, these coaching changes could shrink the gap between them and the rest of the NFC North.

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NFL.com

NFL’s eight biggest Super Bowl windows right now? Eagles, Lions, Chiefs top list; Commanders rising!

7 – Washington Commanders – 2024 record: 12-5

The presence of the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year gives the Commanders a puncher’s chance against any opponent. Though Jayden Daniels’ magical debut season and run to the NFC title game must be kept in perspective, the Washington star undeniably showed he is a playmaking wizard with the talent and tools to elevate the team around him.

With $75 million of projected salary-cap space at the Commanders’ disposal, Daniels could enter 2025 with a more dynamic supporting cast. Washington can morph from a surprising upstart into an NFC heavyweight by adding speed and explosiveness on the perimeter and bringing in bullies at the point of attack.

The veteran-laden defense flourished in Dan Quinn’s first season, but the unit needs reinforcements to upgrade the speed and athleticism along the front seven. Veterans — and pending free agents — Dante Fowler Jr. and Bobby Wagner were essential to the team’s playoff run in 2024. Still, the Commanders could climb higher on the ladder of contention with an upgraded roster.

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All aTwitter

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