For De’Vondre Campbell, a suspension would cost much more than a release

The 49ers are clearly done with linebacker De'Vondre Campbell. The question is how they go about ending it.The easy move is to cut him. A strong message would be sent by suspending him, and by trying to recover a chunk of his signing bonus.Campbell signed a one-year, $5 million deal. It included a $3.35 million signing bonus and a $1.21 million salary. That translates to $67,222 per game.But there's a bigger financial play, which the 49ers would likely waive if they cut him. Under the CBA, willful refusal to play constitutes a forfeitable breach. That allows the 49ers to recover 25 percent of his $3.35 million signing bonus.It works out to $837,500, the direct price of refusing to play. Throw in the fine for a one-game suspension (if the 49ers do that), and Campbell loses more than $1.4 million of his $5 million compensation for 2024.And, yes, the Ravens could do the same thing to receiver Diontae Johnson, even though they didn't pay any of his signing bonus ($17.5 million), his 2024 roster bonus ($3 million), or his pre-trade restructuring bonus of more than $3.2 million. Johnson's refusal to play could end up being VERY expensive, possibly more than $3 million in all.So that's...