Deebo labels departure from 49ers 'bittersweet'

Receiver Deebo Samuel called his departure from San Francisco "bittersweet" but said Washington was always one of his preferred destinations after requesting a trade from the 49ers in part because of quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Samuel, in a 2,136-word essay for the Players' Tribune, reflected on his six seasons with San Francisco and termed his relationship with coach Kyle Shanahan "ridiculous" while also looking forward and saying, "D.C., we coming."

"I got a feeling this season is about to be one of them ones," he wrote.

Samuel also said he appreciates where the 49es sent him and that there's "not a lick of bad blood when it comes to me and that organization. It's always love."

Washington traded a fifth-round pick for Samuel on Saturday; the trade will be official once the new league year begins March 12. Samuel has one year remaining on his contract. He asked Shanahan for a trade in a meeting with him after the season, saying he told the coach he didn't think he knew how hard it was for him to have this conversation. ESPN's Adam Schefter broke the news on Super Bowl Sunday.

Samuel, a second-round pick in 2019, became a dangerous offensive weapon for San Francisco, capable of big plays as a running back as well. He finished his time in San Francisco with 4,792 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns; he ran for another 1,143 yards and 20 scores. In his All-Pro season of 2021 Samuel finished with 1,770 yards and 14 touchdowns from scrimmage.

But after a frustrating season in which he finished with 806 yards from scrimmage -- his lowest total since his second year when he played in only seven games -- Samuel wanted out.

"After I talked with Kyle, I talked to [general manager John [Lynch], and he understood where I was coming from and gave me his perspective on everything," Samuel wrote. "We talked about why we thought it was a good move for both of us. And listen, for John and Kyle to send me to a team in the NFC that was almost a Super Bowl contender, it just shows you the type of love and relationship that we have. I know at the end of the day, they didn't have to do that."

Samuel said he liked playing for Shanahan, though the ride was bumpy at times.

"One minute, he wanna knock my head off, and the next he's just going crazy, excited at something I'm doing," he wrote. "I've always felt like he coaches me harder than anybody else because at the end of the day, he knows I ain't no sensitive-ass player."

But Samuel said their relationship was deeper than just a coach-player one.

"Kyle knows damn near everything that I've been through in my life, and I damn near know everything he done been through," Samuel wrote. "It's like that. It's a bond you could never break. So, we talked it out. It was hard, in its own way. But more than anything, I was just proud of the way we both handled it, as men."

Samuel joins a Washington team coming off a loss in the NFC Championship Game at Philadelphia, the furthest the team has gone since the 1991 season. Daniels starred as a rookie quarterback, earning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and finished seventh in MVP voting.

Daniels and 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk are best friends from their time spent together at Arizona State; Samuel said he started watching Daniels when he played at LSU because of Aiyuk. Also, Commanders general manager Adam Peters spent five years as an assistant general manager in San Francisco with Samuel. Washington's run game coordinator, Anthony Lynn, was an assistant head coach/running backs with the 49ers in 2022 and '23.

"This is one of the best possible fits for me, where I can go in and help a team," Samuel wrote. "When my agent asked me where I wanted to go, this was one of the teams at the top of my list. I knew [Daniels] was going to be a stud. Definitely ready to work with Terry for sure, because we came in the league at the same time. I've heard how hard he grinds. I'm just ready to match the energy and get to it."

Samuel reflected on his journey from playing Pop Warner to his time at the University of South Carolina. He looked back on the two Super Bowl losses he endured with the 49ers and how close the teams were, writing that "our locker room gave college vibes." That's why he labeled his departure bittersweet. He thanked everyone from, among others, the coaching staff, the cooks and equipment managers.

"When the trade happened I was happy because this is something that I wanted," he wrote. "But as the day went on, my mind just kept fading off to all these damn memories, man."