Despite the 30-23 Christmas Day loss to the Dallas Cowboys, it was still a profitable day for Washington Commanders WR Deebo Samuel.
This is Samuel’s first season with the Commanders, after being traded from the San Francisco 49ers for a fifth-round pick during the offseason. As is the case with most NFL players, incentives were worked into his contract.
According to the website Spotrac, Samuel unlocked $450,000 for reaching 70 receptions, and then another $250,000 for getting to 700 receiving yards. These incentives are a part of his $17 million contract, with up to $3 million in potential extras.
In what has been a lost season for the Commanders, this was certainly a dash of extra Christmas cheer for one of the NFL’s most exciting players.
Commanders vs Cowboys Christmas Day Game
Neither team was in the playoff picture, but it was still an exciting, high-scoring game to set the tone for the week of important matchups. Dak Prescott threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, including an 86-yard touchdown throw to KaVontae Turpin.
Samuel had a pair of big plays on the day, en route to a final line of 2-68-0 receiving and 2-25-0 rushing.
The first one came midway through the first quarter, taking a screen-pass for 41 yards and laying a vicious head-on collision hit on a Cowboys’ defender and knocking his helmet off in the process. On the other big play, Samuel took an end-around in the second quarter that went for 29 yards.
Before the game, Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. was ruled inactive with an illness. This allowed Jacory Croskey-Merritt to step into a larger role, which he did not waste with a 11-105-2 line as the main contributor.
Deebo Samuel Outlook
The Commanders were expecting big things out of Samuel, who has 70 catches for 707 yards and five touchdowns heading into the final week of the regular season. Of course, the injury to QB Jayden Daniels hindered what could have been a competitive campaign, but this team never really had a fair shot.
In the regular season finale, Washington takes on the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Depending on the results from Week 17 games, this could wind up being a wash where all of the backups play. The Eagles already clinched the NFC East division and currently own the NFC’s 3-seed, but it will be tough to catapult the Chicago Bears for the 2-seed, since the Bears won the head-to-head meeting earlier this season.
If the game is meaningless by the time Week 18 rolls around, there’s a good chance that Samuel doesn’t play in the regular season finale. Samuel already got a couple of incentives, so the Commanders may not want to risk yet another injury on this roster before season’s end.
Washington Commanders’ Outlook for 2026 NFL Season
The outlook for the Commanders has already shifted to next season. Before Week 17, Washington was the only NFL team with four wins, which currently has them settling for the No. 7 pick in upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
Almost everything went wrong for the Commanders this season, so you can certainly swing a cat around the roster and find an area that needs improvement. TE Zach Ertz suffered a major injury late in the season, and the pass defense was a major detriment to the team’s overall success.
Next season, the Commanders will have a healthy Jayden Daniels back under center – and hopefully a happy Terry McLaurin to pair up with Samuel. We’re starting to see a combo of Rodriguez and Croskey-Merritt play a major role too, so there’s no reason this Commanders’ squad can’t get back to the level that just saw them in the NFC Conference Championship Game just one season ago.
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