Wide receiver Deebo Samuel called the departure from San Francisco “bitter suite,” but Washington always said it was one of his favorite destinations after demanding a deal from the 49ers for quarterback Jaden Daniels.
Samuel in 2,136 words essay Player Tribunereflecting six seasons with San Francisco, calling his relationship with manager Kyle Shanahan “silly”, while saying, “DC, we’re here.”
“I felt like this season would be one of them,” Samuel wrote.
Samuel thanked the 49ers for sending him, saying, “It’s not a bad blood lick about me and the organization. It’s always love.”
Washington traded his fifth pick for Samuel on Saturday. The deal will be official when the new league year begins on March 12th. Samuel remains on the contract for a year.
He asked Shanahan to trade during his post-season meeting and told the coach he didn’t think he knew how difficult it would be for him to have this conversation. ESPN’s Adam Schefter defeated the news on Super Bowl Sunday.
Samuel, the second pick in 2019, has become a dangerous offensive weapon for San Francisco, allowing him to play big as a running back. He ran for 4,792 yards and 22 touchdowns for San Francisco, with another 1,143 yards and a score of 20. In his All-Pro season in 2021, Samuel finished with 1,770 yards and 14 touchdowns from scrimmage.
But after an annoyed season when he finished 806 yards from scrimmage, Samuel wanted an out on his lowest total since his second year playing in just seven games.
“After talking to Kyle, I spoke [GM] John [Lynch]and he understood where I came from and gave me his perspective on everything,” Samuel wrote. And then John and Kyle send me to the NFC team, the Super Bowl candidates. It just shows you the type of love and relationship we have. I know at the end of the day they didn’t need to do it. ”
Samuel said he liked to play for Shanahan, but sometimes the ride was bumpy.
“A few minutes, he wants to knock my head down and he’s just crazy excited about what I’m doing,” he wrote. “I always felt like he coached me more strongly than anyone else because he knows I’m not a sensitive player.”
But Samuel said their relationship is deeper than coach players.
“Kyle knows damn damn near everything I’ve experienced in life. I know everything he’s done,” writes Samuel. “It’s like that. It’s a bond you could never break. So we talked about it. It was tough in its own right, but more than anything, I was proud of the way we treated it as men.”
Samuel joined the Washington team, who lost in the NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia, where the team is the farthest since the 1991 season. Daniels starred as a rookie quarterback, earning the NFL offensive Rookie of the Year honors, finishing seventh in the MVP poll.
Daniels and 49ers wide receiver Brandon Iyuk have been best friends since they joined together in Arizona. Samuel said he began watching Daniels when he played for Ayyuk for LSU. Also, Adam Peters, the general manager of commander, spent five years at Samuel as assistant general manager in San Francisco. Washington’s run game coordinator Anthony Lynn was the 49ers assistant head coach/running back in 2022 and 2023.
“This is one of the best fits for me and I can join and help the team,” Samuel wrote. “When my agent asked me where I wanted to go, this was one of the top teams on my list. I knew [Daniels] I was planning to become a stud. We came to the league at the same time, so we are definitely ready to work with Terry. I’ve heard how hard he grinds. I’m just ready to fit the energy and reach it. ”
Samuel reflected on his journey from Pop Warner’s performance at the University of South Carolina to his time. He recalls his two Super Bowl defeats with the 49ers and how close the team is, writing, “Our locker room gave the college vibe.” So he labelled his departure as bittersweet. He thanked the coaching staff, chefs, equipment managers, among others.
“When the deal happened, I was happy because this was what I wanted,” he wrote. “But as the day went by, my mind continued to fade into all these damn memories, man.”
