Although it was a busy start to free agency for the Washington Commanders, the moves general manager Adam Peters made at the wide receiver position were minor. But make no mistake: the front-office leader is not done with recruitment for this position group.
Only Dyami Brown and Van Jefferson Jr. have been signed so far. Treylon Burks got a new deal after flashing some promise over the second half of 2025. Terry McLaurin, Luke McCaffrey, and Jaylin Lane are still around, but that won't be enough.
With Deebo Samuel Sr. also still sitting on the market, fans are starting to wonder whether the versatile weapon will also come back. He impressed in difficult circumstances last season. Still, much will depend on the money involved and what sort of role offensive coordinator David Blough is willing to offer.
Commanders must act swiftly on Deebo Samuel if they want to keep him around
There could be other suitors for Samuel if the asking price comes down. And there seems to be some smoke building in the media about a possible destination worth considering.
Nick Shook of NFL.com added his name to the growing list of those who believe Samuel could be tempted by the Carolina Panthers. This would be a homecoming for the wideout, who hails from Inman and starred at Chapman High School before taking college football by storm with the South Carolina Gamecocks.
"Throw [Deebo] Samuel, a rugged slot whose best days are admittedly behind him, into the equation to give Bryce Young another option. The Panthers enjoyed some surprising success in 2025, which should only prompt them to continue accruing talent, especially for an offense that, depending on the week, was either explosive or forgot to board the bus to the stadium.
"They might have a tough time fitting Samuel's expected cost (roughly $15 million, per Spotrac) into their cap situation, but there are ways to make it work if the fit makes sense."
This makes a ton of sense at this late stage of Samuel's career. The Panthers are also moving into win-now mode after making the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Signing edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd is proof positive of that, making this a pretty attractive destination for the All-Pro in familiar surroundings.
There is the financial aspect to consider. The Panthers don't have much salary-cap space right now, and Samuel won't be playing for free. Washington has the available resources to keep him around if they choose, and the wideout enjoyed his spell with the club amid almost constant doom and gloom.
Peters has re-signed several players who were part of the squad last season. If he wanted Samuel to come back, he probably would have sorted something out already. That's not to say he won't go back to the player in the future, but the price point has to match.
But if Carolina came calling for Samuel, that would be a difficult proposition to turn down.