49ers drop hammer on De'Vondre Campbell but fall short of worst possible punishment

From the moment that San Francisco 49ers linebacker De'Vondre Campbell refused to enter his team's game against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night, his time in the Bay was over. Quitting on your team (because you're unhappy with your playing time, no less) is about the worst thing you can do in the NFL, as the reaction from Campbell's teammates postgame made abundantly clear.

But while it was obvious that Campbell would never play another down for the Niners, it was still up in the air just exactly what his punishment would be. We finally got our answer on Monday, and while San Francisco opted against cutting him, it still managed to dole out the harshest punishment possible.

49ers refuse to give De'Vondre Campbell what he wants with season-ending suspension

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Niners are suspending Campbell for the final three games of the regular season.

While you may wonder why exactly GM John Lynch would opt to keep Campbell employed as a member of the team for the next three weeks, this is actually the best way to deliver a message. Campbell refused to play on Thursday because he was unhappy at being benched in favor of the returning Dre Greenlaw, and it was clear that he wanted to find more playing time somewhere else. Now, though, he won't get that opportunity: While he won't be cashing game checks, he'll still be a member of the 49ers, unable to sign with another team for the remainder of the regular season.

While there's always a chance that San Francisco could sneak its way into the playoffs and find itself in a position where it has to release Campbell to free up a roster spot, it's more likely that the Niners will miss the postseason for the first time since 2020, in which case they won't have to make the move official until the start of the new league year next spring. There wouldn't seem to be much chance of a team picking up Campbell for a playoff run anyway, especially after the stunt he just pulled, but this punishment went ahead and made it official.

Which is for the best, because allowing Campbell to play again this season, whether for the Niners or another team, would have just wound up rewarding someone for throwing a temper tantrum because they didn't get what they want.