Washington Football Team: Free agents team could target in 2021

1. WR Curtis Samuel

For purposes of our analysis today, we are not entertaining the idea of signing “mega-star/ultra franchise” types for three reasons.  First, a Ron Rivera team rarely makes such a signing a reality.  Second, it is always better to sign good players to more modest contracts, and adding multiple players instead of just one or two stars is a much more sound strategy.

Third, those franchise types on a new team are typically a bad idea and it just hurts the team.  Think Landon Collins, Josh Norman, Albert Haynesworth, Adam Archuleta, Antwaan Randle El, etc.  You get the idea.

The first player to catch our attention today is Panthers wide receiver Curtis Samuel.  He is talented and would be a perfect complement to Terry McLaurin.

For reasons unknown, Samuel is now the third or fourth option for the Panthers on Sundays and it is surprising to see his production falling off due to team decisions.  He is a talented receiver and continues to garner positive attention from analysts each week. Toss in the age factor (Samuel doesn’t turn 25 until next August) and the former Ohio State star is an attractive option for a team that is looking to get younger over the next few years with such talent.

Another positive for Samuel is money.  Franchise receivers now command $20 million or more on the open market and Samuel, while a bit on the expensive side, would cost much less than that amount.  A four or five-year contract with modest numbers (about $12 million a year) should be enough for Samuel to make a leap of faith to the Burgundy and Gold.