“It felt like I was at Disney World” – Deebo Samuel reflects on Super Bowl run as a rookie after getting traded from 49ers

Deebo Samuel's first year as a San Francisco 49er ended in a surreal experience for the wide receiver.

The playmaker, who was just traded from the 49ers to the Washington Commanders, expressed these sentiments in an emotional letter on theplayerstribune.com on Thursday.

In his goodbye letter entitled "THANK YOU, SAN FRANCISCO," Samuel chronicled his path from Spartanburg, South Carolina, to becoming an NFL star:

"My first year in the league, I went to the Super Bowl. It felt like I was at Disney World or something. I was just like, Bro, this is not real. We went through all the media and meetings.

We had a mini parade, and I'm thinking, Bro, what is going on? It's like I was still dreaming. And as we boarded the plane, they had the cheerleaders, the band, everything, at the airport. I'm like, Yo, this is crazy. I'm really in the Super Bowl."

NFL: San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals - Source: Imagn

Although San Francisco lost that championship game, Samuel pointed out they were "freaking three minutes away from winning one."

Deebo Samuel talks about expectations set in after his first Super Bowl run

NFL: Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers - Source: Imagn

Samuel shared how his rookie Super Bowl run defined his vision for NFL success.

"Being a rookie and making a Super Bowl, you're kind of like, 'We gonna be in the Super Bowl every year — this is what it is,'" he wrote before outlining how the 2020 COVID season threw that into disarray.

The 2019 second-round draft choice looked back on the postseason achievement his draft class had:

"Our draft class to San Francisco — me, Bosa, Greenlaw, all of us. All we know is like NFC Championship, Super Bowl, NFC Championship, Super Bowl," Deebo Samuel wrote.

Following six seasons for the 49ers that yielded 4,792 receiving yards and 1,143 rushing yards, Samuel made a trade request that was honored. The Commanders will give San Francisco a fifth-round pick and assume Samuel's $17.55 million salary for 2025, ESPN said in its March 2 report.

Deebo Samuel's 2021 campaign almost brought the 49ers to the Super Bowl, where he gained 1,770 scrimmage yards and 14 total scores. His recent seasons have seen his production wane, with 56 catches for 731.3 receiving yards in the last three years.

Deebo Samuel joins a Commanders offense that ranked fifth in scoring last season and will pair with Pro Bowl receiver Terry McLaurin. The move reunites Samuel with Washington GM Adam Peters, who worked in San Francisco's front office when the team drafted him.