Deebo Samuel Free Agency Watch: Chiefs, Raiders, and Ravens Emerge as Top Landing Spots

Deebo Samuel Sr. remains one of the most talked-about names in the NFL without a team, and the chatter picked up steam again on Tuesday as fresh reporting linked the veteran wide receiver to the Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, and Baltimore Ravens. With training camps already underway across the league, Samuel’s continued availability has become one of the strangest subplots of the 2026 offseason for a player who was an All-Pro just a few years ago.

Samuel’s path to this point has been unusual. The 49ers traded him to the Washington Commanders last March for a fifth-round pick, and he spent the 2025 season as a steady if unspectacular complementary piece in Washington’s offense. His one-year contract was structured to void in February, and it officially did on February 13, saddling the Commanders with a $12.3 million dead-cap charge while making Samuel an unrestricted free agent once the new league year opened on March 11. Nearly five months later, he’s still waiting for his next contract.

Why Three Contenders Keep Surfacing

The Ravens have been mentioned as a fit because they still lack a true No. 2 receiver behind Zay Flowers, and Samuel’s ability to work as a hybrid runner-receiver could pair well with a backfield led by Derrick Henry, who has rarely been used heavily in the passing game. The Raiders’ interest reportedly intensified in the days around July 27, with a young and largely unproven receiver room in Las Vegas viewed as an obvious landing spot for a battle-tested veteran who can line up in the slot, out wide, or even take handoffs on jet sweeps. Kansas City’s connection stems largely from uncertainty at receiver behind Rashee Rice, whose legal situation has clouded his outlook for the coming season and left the Chiefs searching for proven depth at the position.

Samuel isn’t short on other suitors, either. The Los Angeles Rams have reportedly gained momentum as a potential fit if a reunion with his original team, the San Francisco 49ers, never materializes, and the Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers have also been floated as teams looking for a veteran complement to their top target. None of those conversations have progressed to anything close to a deal, but the sheer volume of teams checking in underscores how much value evaluators still see in his game, even at this stage of the process.

The Numbers Behind the Interest

Part of what keeps Samuel in the conversation is that he’s still productive. In 16 games with Washington last season, he caught 72 of his 99 targets for 727 yards and five touchdowns, adding 17 carries for 75 yards and another score on the ground. That 802 total yards from scrimmage came at nine yards per touch, numbers that hold up against most of the other name-brand free agents still unsigned, including Stefon Diggs, DeAndre Hopkins, and Keenan Allen. For fantasy managers tracking his market the way bettors track lines in the NFL odds hub, Samuel’s eventual signing could carry real weight, particularly if he lands in an offense that features an established downfield passer.

Samuel, who turned 30 in January, has pushed back on any suggestion that his best days are behind him. “Going on Year 8 … I still feel like I got a lot, at least like three, four good years left,” he said recently, framing his continued availability as a matter of fit and timing rather than a red flag. That’s a notable distinction from other stalled free-agent markets around the league, where injury history or off-field concerns typically explain the delay.

What Comes Next

With camps open and rosters filling out fast, the runway for Samuel to sign somewhere and still have a real chance to integrate into a new offense before Week 1 is shrinking. Whichever team ultimately lands him will be betting that a proven, versatile weapon is worth more than the transition cost of a late arrival — and for a receiver who has spent his career defying tidy positional labels, that bet has paid off before. Once a deal is finalized, expect the Chiefs, Raiders, and Ravens to remain the three most scrutinized names, with the Rams lurking as a real alternative if none of them pull the trigger first.