The 49ers are done with linebacker De’Vondre Campbell. The details remain to be resolved.
If they were going to cut him, they would have done it by now. Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the 49ers are expected to suspend Campbell.
On Saturday, we looked at the financial ramifications of a suspension. And while they could release him and cut off his right to termination pay given his refusal to play (saving more than $200,000), terminating his contract would possibly give him what he wants — a ticket to an actual playoff contender.
If it’s a suspension, the question becomes whether it will be one game, two games, or three? The Ravens suspended receiver Diontae Johnson one game for refusal to enter a game two weeks ago. If the 49ers suspend Campbell for one game, he’d be back for the final two. They could deactivate him for those games, but they couldn’t keep him out of the building without releasing him.
They also could impose a three-game suspension, fight it out in a grievance, and hope it’s not resolved before the end of the season. If the arbitrator finds three games was too much of a punishment, they’d write the check when the dust settles and move on.
Along the way, the 49ers would have kept Campbell from getting a ticket out of town before the roster locks after the final game of the year. Which for the 49ers likely will be at the end of the regular season, and not in the postseason.
