The saga of Deebo Samuel and his time in San Francisco with the 49ers is a curious one. A star wideout who helped his team reach two Super Bowls while establishing himself as a top player at his position gets traded for a late-round draft pick at seemingly the. prime of his career. That storyline has internal strife and bad blood written all over it.

Strangely enough, unless all parties are lying here, that wasn’t the case. A quick trade without a lost of fanfare sent Samuel to the Washington Commanders – who now find themselves as “contenders” after their first appearance in the NFC Championship game since 1991. And after requesting the trade, Samuel seems happy, not just with his destination, but with the entire process and his time in San Francisco.

“49ers know where I stand with them and it’s nothing but love. Love John and Kyle to death,” Samuel posted on X. “No bad blood, no way shape or form. They know I’m more than appreciative of everything they’ve done for me as a player and a man. Nothing but love.” The Niners had an offseason last year, finishing last in the division and missing the playoffs altogether. Poor play and injuries plagued the team all year. Plus general manager John Lynch is about to have to pay his star quarterback roughly $50 million per season or more.