In the grand scheme of things, Deebo Samuel wasn't away from the 49ers for very long.
Traded to the Commanders in March 2025, Samuel re-signed with the 49ers this week after just a one-year absence from the team that drafted him.
"It kind of felt like I didn't even go nowhere, to be honest," Samuel said Saturday after his first practice back with San Francisco, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. "When I got back, I was just like, â??Well, I know what's going on, I know the people here. The staff's still the same.' So it's kind of like the same, for real.
"They were happy, I was happy, and we're just ready to get the ball rolling."
While Samuel also has a history of requesting trades from the 49ers, he said there weren't hard feelings with the team's brass in head coach Kyle Shanahan and G.M. John Lynch.
"Contract negotiations is contract negotiations, and then those are conversations for John, Kyle, and my agent to have," Samuel said. "But our relationship has never changed or had a fallout. So, that was just like contract negotiations that I'm not in control...