San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that linebacker De’Vondre Campbell refused to play when asked to enter the third quarter of Thursday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
“He said he didn’t want to play today,” Shanahan told reporters.
“He said he didn’t want to play today.”
— 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on LB De’Vondre Campbell when asked to replace Dre Greenlaw pic.twitter.com/QRcmG6nZW9
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 13, 2024
Shanahan was non-committal when asked if the team would release Campbell.
“I don’t know. We’ll figure out something,” Shanahan said, per NFL Network’s Clayton Holloway.
The 49ers lost 12-6 to the Rams and could be officially eliminated from playoff contention with a Seattle Seahawks win this weekend.
The TNF broadcast showed Campbell walking off the field and into the tunnel in the fourth quarter.
His exit led to criticism from teammates including tight end George Kittle, who called it a “selfish decision.”
Niners cornerback Charvarius Ward said after the loss that Campbell’s actions “definitely hurt the team.”
“He’s probably gonna get cut,” Ward said, per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows.
Here is the whole Mooney Ward exchange on De’Vondre Campbell refusing to go into the game tonight.
Mooney was brutally honest about a guy who appeared to quit on his team. #49ers | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/CT6zNcC4t1
— Matt Lively (@mattblively) December 13, 2024
Campbell appeared in each of the 49ers’ first 13 games of the season. He had started 10 straight games heading into Thursday, although his usage steadily decreased over the last three weeks.
The 49ers announced ahead of Week 15 that Dre Greenlaw would be returning from an Achilles injury, putting Campbell on the bench for the first time since Week 3.
Greenlaw played each 49ers defensive snap during the first half against the Rams, but began to miss snaps in the third quarter. Campbell was then apparently called to step in for him, at which point Shanahan indicated he refused.
Campbell is playing on the one-year, $1.2 million contract he signed with the 49ers ahead of the 2024 season. The 49ers would be left with $4.56 million in dead money if he was cut, according to Over the Cap.