Even the best relationships can fizzle over time. San Francisco 49ers fans know that as well as any fan base in the NFL, given some of the big names and bigger personalities that have called the franchise home over the years.
While some players are talented enough to make the headaches that come with employing them more tolerable, there always comes a time when the personalities surpass the skill level, and that comes in the NFL sooner than most professional sports.
This is when teams can come undone from the inside out, and Niners fans have every reason to believe that one former star in San Francisco will do just that in his new NFL home.
Deebo Samuel Is Going to Sabotage the Commanders from the Inside
After multiple instances over the years in which Samuel complained about the role he had with the Niners or the amount of touches he was receiving, the franchise finally gave in to one of his trade requests. John Lynch shipped him across the country to the Washington Commanders in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which turned into former Oregon Ducks running back Jordan James.
All of the same things that irritated him about his role in San Francisco are likely to be present in the nation's capital, as, once again, he will be the No. 2 receiver on the roster behind Terry McLaurin. It is hard to imagine a scenario where Samuel is targeted more than the former Ohio State Buckeyes standout. That could be a tough pill for Deebo to swallow, even if he is supposed to be on his best behavior as 2025 is a contract year.
Beyond being a clear No. 2 to McLaurin, Samuel is going from an offense where the quarterback was, almost always, in the pocket to a situation where Jayden Daniels could take off and run with the ball at a moment's notice. There is no way that all of the 148 rush attempts that Daniels had during his rookie season were scripted plays. Those instances where Daniels decides to make something happen with his feet will only take away opportunities for Samuel to be targeted in the pass game.
The 29-year-old has every reason to do whatever he can to make things work with the Commanders. Being, essentially, run out of two cities in consecutive years, on top of being on the wrong side of 30 years old following the 2025 season, will not make him any more of an attractive option on the free agent market.
The ball is very much in the court of the former Niners star, and San Francisco fans will certainly be keeping an eye on just what happens with him in D.C. after the way things ended in the Bay Area.