De'Vondre Campbell Quitting on 49ers Isn't a Reflection of Kyle Shanahan

Blaming Kyle Shanahan for De'Vondre Campbell quitting on the 49ers could be a stance someone could take, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

Sep 22, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker De'Vondre Campbell (59) fouls Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee (89) in the fourth quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Linebacker De'Vondre Campbell is somehow still on the San Francisco 49ers.

It's been two days since he quit on the team after being pouty that Dre Greenlaw returned as the starter. The 49ers are likely mulling whether they should suspend him for the remainder of the season without pay or simply cut him. Either way, he isn't stepping foot at the facility ever again.

“We're working through the semantics of exactly how to deal with it," said Kyle Shanahan via conference on Friday. "But you guys heard from me last night, you guys heard from our players, his actions from the game just, it's not something you can do to your team or your teammates and still expect to be a part of our team. So, we're working through exactly the semantics of it right now, but we'll handle the situation appropriately.”

Seeing Campbell quit on the 49ers was bizarre. No player has ever done that on the 49ers since Shanahan became head coach. It's definitely up there for one of the more dramatic moments with Shanahan at the helm. Since he is the head coach, Campbell quitting could be viewed as a negative reflection of Shanahan. It can show the locker room is fractured.

However, that couldn't be further from the truth. Campbell quitting on the 49ers isn't a reflection of Shanahan. It has nothing to do with him. If anything, Campbell quitting showed just how together the locker room is. Every player asked about their thoughts on Campbell quitting and had similar answers. No one was happy with it and they were all united against him.

So, this is an outlier situation. Remember, Campbell is an outside player. He signed with the 49ers in free agency coming from the Green Bay Packers. When that happened, he took a not so subtle shot at the Packers on social media for the way they have been using him. Campbell has showed signs in the past of being a toxic player and confirmed it by quitting on his team.

“We were needing a starting-caliber linebacker to fill in for Dre until he could get back," said Shanahan on the logic of signing Campbell. "We didn't know how long that would be. I thought he had some ups and downs throughout the year. I thought he started off slow. I thought he got more used to our defense and how we expected people to play and I thought he improved throughout the year.”

Campbell quitting will not have any impact on the locker room. I'd even bet the players will feel more united from it after seeing it. Regardless, Campbell might've played his last down of football ever. He becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season. It will be extremely difficult for him to find a team after showcasing how unprofessional he is.

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