“You just turn into a bully with the ball in your hands… what we call it back home is that dawg mentality.” That’s how Deebo Samuel once described his game, and it showed. A 49ers 2019 second-round pick, Samuel earned All-Pro honors in 2021 and quickly became one of Shanahan’s most explosive weapons. But now that Samuel is gone—headed to Washington—there’s a different kind of pressure brewing. And it’s aimed directly back at the man who let him go.
The 49ers have thrived with Deebo Samuel because he was never just a wide receiver—he was a mismatch machine, a weapon that made Kyle Shanahan’s offense unpredictable. “So Deebo is a chess piece removed from the board,” Nick Wright said on FS1, summing up the aftermath of his departure. Inside the locker room, the reaction wasn’t much quieter. “It sucks, dude. He’s my boy. I love Deebo,” quarterback Brock Purdy said on Bussin’ With the Boys. “Day one, he’s always had my back and believed in me when I got in.” For many, this feels less like a roster move and more like a mistake. The trade wasn’t just about football—it broke a dynamic that worked.
This is exactly why Deebo Samuel’s success in Washington could become a nightmare for Kyle Shanahan. As Grant Cohn put it bluntly on his YouTube channel, “Deebo Samuel playing well for the Commanders—that would be disastrous for Kyle Shanahan.” The idea that Kliff Kingsbury, of all people, could unlock the version of Deebo that Shanahan seemingly gave up on is surprising. “Can you imagine if Kingsbury figured it out and was like, ‘No, no, no, no. Guy is actually still a Pro Bowler—but you got Demarcus Robinson, enjoy.” If Deebo flourishes under a different coach, it flips the narrative. Suddenly, Kyle doesn’t look like a genius who maximized Deebo—he looks like a coach who failed to see the full picture or, worse, lost control of it.
It seems Dan Quinn might understand Deebo Samuel’s value better than anyone outside of San Francisco. As the former Cowboys defensive coordinator, Quinn spent years game-planning to contain Samuel—and often failing. Now, as the Commanders’ head coach, he’s getting a front-row look. “Somewhere along the way, I’d forgotten until [he was] out here how fast he is,” Quinn said after offseason workouts. “He was such a difficult person to tackle that you spent so much time, ‘How are you going to tackle this person?” His words echo the version of Deebo who once said after torching the Rams, “One guy is not going to tackle me.” That mindset hasn’t changed—and if Quinn knows how to unleash it again, the 49ers might have just handed over their most dynamic weapon to a coach who knows exactly how dangerous he can still be.
There’s a growing sense that Kyle Shanahan may simply be running on fumes. As Grant Cohn put it, “If Kyle Shanahan still seems burnt out and out of ideas despite having an extra month of an offseason… maybe you’re burnt out from nine years of being a coach.” That hits at something deeper than just one bad season or a questionable trade. It’s about energy, vision, and whether Kyle still has the fire to evolve. If his offense looks stale and uninspired again, people will stop asking what’s wrong with the roster—and start asking what’s wrong with the coach.
Deebo Samuel’s exit puts pressure on Kyle Shanahan
It’s not just the play-calling that’s under fire—it’s the way Kyle Shanahan manages the locker room. Grant Cohn pointed to multiple issues last season, including the Brandon Aiyuk situation during training camp. “The whole allowing Brandon to stand on the side… dude, be a coach. Handle that,” he said. Grant also criticized Kyle for letting a fight break out without disciplining the player responsible and for mishandling Nick Bosa’s contract drama. “He wasn’t really present as a leader,” Grant added. These moments suggest a deeper problem—one where Shanahan seems increasingly detached from the day-to-day pulse of his team.
Then there’s the quarterback carousel—a conversation that just won’t die. Grant said plainly, “If Trey Lance comes in with Jim Harbaugh and plays like a Pro Bowler, that might be the nail in the coffin.” Alex Frankel added, “If Jimmy Garoppolo plays better than Brock… you can’t come back from that.” These aren’t wild takes—they’re real possibilities. And they underline a growing frustration with Shanahan’s inability to choose and stick with the right player. If the players he moved on from thrive elsewhere, it not only reflects poorly on his evaluations, but it also shakes the foundation he’s built.
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