"John Lynch was yelling at him" - George Kittle gets honest about De’Vondre Campbell incident

George Kittle has seen the San Francisco 49ers’ roster lose many starters and contributors as the 2025 season looms. One of them is De’Vondre Campbell, who departed at the start of the league year following a highly publicized on-field incident.

Ahead of last season’s Week 15 game against the Los Angeles Rams, the linebacker was demoted from the starting lineup. Injuries to Dre Greenlaw and Dee Winters, however, forced head coach Kyle Shanahan to try sending him back on the field — but Campbell refused and left for the locker room.

The incident angered many of Campbell’s teammates, fans and reporters. Appearing on "Bussin’ With the Boys" on Tuesday, Kittle recalled being surprised by how it unfolded:

"Security escorted him off the property and said, 'Don't come back.' I had no idea until I saw him walking off the field. And apparently there's, like, a whole bunch of stuff. Like, (general manager) John Lynch came out of the suite and was like, yelling at him."

Campbell was suspended for the rest of the 2024 season a day after the 6-12 loss. As of this writing, he remains unsigned.

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George Kittle weighs in on Deebo Samuel's departure to Commanders

De'Vondre Campbell wasn’t the only teammate George Kittle lost this offseason.

Deebo Samuel played a key role in the 49ers’ resurgence during the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch era. Alongside Kittle, the dual-threat wide receiver helped the team reach two Super Bowls — including a standout 2023 campaign in which both players were among four with at least 1,000 scrimmage yards.

But after a brutal collapse to 6-11 and last place in the NFC West in 2024, changes had to be made. Samuel, who had long been the subject of speculation about his physical conditioning, was traded to the Washington Commanders for a fifth-round pick.

Still, George Kittle is mostly glad his now-former teammate got to reunite with Adam Peters, who was once an assistant under Lynch. In the same podcast appearance, he said (begins at 2:07:49 in the video below):

"I'm happy for him that he went to Washington. Guys need a fresh start sometimes, and he wanted a fresh start, and so, I'm very happy for him."

He also praised Samuel’s “very talented” new quarterback, Jayden Daniels:

"Jayden Daniels makes everybody better. He's insane."

The 49ers will begin preseason and summer camp on July 22.