Broad receiver Deebo Samuel known as his departure from San Francisco “bittersweet” however mentioned Washington was all the time one in every of his most popular locations after requesting a commerce from the 49ers partially due to quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Samuel, in a 2,136-word essay for The Gamers’ Tribune, mirrored on his six seasons with San Francisco and termed his relationship with coach Kyle Shanahan “ridiculous” whereas additionally wanting ahead and saying, “D.C., we coming.”
“I received a sense this season is about to be one in every of them ones,” Samuel wrote.
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Samuel mentioned he appreciates the place the 49ers despatched him and that there is “not a lick of dangerous blood relating to me and that group. It is all the time love.”
Washington traded a fifth-round choose for Samuel on Saturday; the commerce can be official as soon as the brand new league 12 months begins March 12. Samuel has one 12 months remaining on his contract.
He requested Shanahan for a commerce in a gathering with him after the season, saying he instructed the coach he did not assume he knew how arduous it was for him to have this dialog. ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the information on Tremendous Bowl Sunday.
Samuel, a second-round choose in 2019, grew to become a harmful offensive weapon for San Francisco, able to huge performs as a working again as effectively. He completed his time in San Francisco with 4,792 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns whereas working for one more 1,143 yards and 20 scores. In his All-Professional season of 2021, Samuel completed with 1,770 yards and 14 touchdowns from scrimmage.
However after a irritating season wherein he completed with 806 yards from scrimmage — his lowest whole since his second 12 months when he performed in solely seven video games — Samuel needed out.
“After I talked with Kyle, I talked to [GM] John [Lynch], and he understood the place I used to be coming from and gave me his perspective on all the things,” Samuel wrote. “We talked about why we thought it was transfer for each of us. And pay attention, for John and Kyle to ship me to a crew within the NFC that was virtually a Tremendous Bowl contender, it simply reveals you the kind of love and relationship that we’ve. I do know on the finish of the day, they did not have to do this.”
Samuel mentioned he favored taking part in for Shanahan, although the experience was bumpy at instances.
“One minute, he wanna knock my head off, and the subsequent he is simply going loopy, excited at one thing I am doing,” he wrote. “I’ve all the time felt like he coaches me tougher than anyone else as a result of on the finish of the day, he is aware of I ain’t no sensitive-ass participant.”
However Samuel mentioned their relationship was deeper than only a coach-player one.
“Kyle is aware of rattling close to all the things that I have been by way of in my life, and I rattling close to know all the things he executed been by way of,” Samuel wrote. “It is like that. It is a bond you possibly can by no means break. So, we talked it out. It was arduous, in its personal manner. However greater than something, I used to be simply happy with the best way we each dealt with it, as males.”
Samuel joins a Washington crew coming off a loss within the NFC Championship Sport at Philadelphia, the furthest the crew has gone for the reason that 1991 season. Daniels starred as a rookie quarterback, incomes NFL Offensive Rookie of the 12 months honors and ending seventh in MVP voting.
Daniels and 49ers vast receiver Brandon Aiyuk are greatest associates from their time collectively at Arizona State; Samuel mentioned he began watching Daniels when he performed at LSU due to Aiyuk. Additionally, Commanders basic supervisor Adam Peters spent 5 years as an assistant basic supervisor in San Francisco with Samuel. Washington’s run sport coordinator, Anthony Lynn, was an assistant head coach/working backs with the 49ers in 2022 and 2023.
“This is among the absolute best matches for me, the place I can go in and assist a crew,” Samuel wrote. “When my agent requested me the place I needed to go, this was one of many groups on the high of my record. I knew [Daniels] was going to be a stud. Undoubtedly able to work with Terry for positive, as a result of we got here within the league on the similar time. I’ve heard how arduous he grinds. I am simply able to match the vitality and get to it.”
Samuel mirrored on his journey from taking part in Pop Warner to his time on the College of South Carolina. He seemed again on his two Tremendous Bowl losses with the 49ers and the way shut the groups have been, writing that “our locker room gave faculty vibes.” That is why he labeled his departure bittersweet. He thanked the teaching workers, the cooks and tools managers, amongst others.
“When the commerce occurred I used to be blissful as a result of that is one thing that I needed,” he wrote. “However because the day went on, my thoughts simply saved fading off to all these rattling recollections, man.”
