In the aftermath of the San Francisco 49ers’ Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, much of the focus has remained on linebacker De’Vondre Campbell’s refusal to reenter the game.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan got brutally honest about the situation, admitting that San Francisco made a mistake even signing the veteran player in the first place.
“I was with De’Vondre his rookie year in Atlanta, so I knew what he was capable of,” Shanahan said, according to Pro Football Talk. “Not that I was real close with the defensive guys, being the offensive coordinator there, but I know we liked him in that building. I know a lot of guys who have coached him who have been good. And we obviously made a mistake.
“It’s not something that we didn’t look into. We look into everything. You weigh the risk-reward of stuff. You weigh the situation that you have and what decision you can make in terms of the options. By no means was it our first option. But at the time, with what went down, we thought it was our best option. And it didn’t work out.”
Kyle Shanahan on the signing of De’Vondre Campbell during free agency:
“We obviously made a mistake.” pic.twitter.com/j9PPt7xzfk
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) December 18, 2024
It’s not as if there weren’t red flags, as Campbell’s free agency came after a messy exit from the Green Bay Packers. Nevertheless, the 49ers signed the 31-year-old to a one-year contract with star linebacker Dre Greenlaw still recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in last season’s Super Bowl.
“We look into all that,” Shanahan said of the concerns regarding Campbell. “It was tough losing Dre. We knew we were going to need a starting-caliber linebacker. We had two guys that we thought we had committed that we lost in free agency. Then another guy got cut after that and became available.”
Following his refusal to reenter last week’s game, the 49ers suspended Campbell for the final three games of the 2024 regular season.
San Francisco will return to action on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.