Washington Commanders cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon recently decided to retire, according to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter, who cited a transaction on the reserve/retired list on Tuesday.
Remember Witherspoon?
The Sacramento, California, native was the San Francisco 49ers' first defensive back selected under general manager John Lynch, taken in Round 3 of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Colorado. And while the Niners' first couple of years under Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan were pretty rough, Witherspoon certainly appeared as if he'd be a solid starter for a revamped secondary.
That never quite materialized, though, and even the 2018 arrival of All-Pro corner Richard Sherman couldn't help Witherspoon from being relegated to the bench a year later when San Francisco made a Super Bowl run.
Once his four years were up in the Bay Area, Witherspoon moved on, and neither party looked back.
Ahkello Witherspoon has forgotten legacy with 49ers
The defensive back saw substantial field time with both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams after departing the 49ers, and perhaps his return to the NFC West opened up a memory that'll probably be most closely associated with Witherspoon and Niners fans.
Remember that "friendly" run-in back in 2023 when Witherspoon got a brutal stiff-arm from running back Christian McCaffrey, which led to words?
Yes, indeed. CMC later jokingly admitted the two were just checking in on each other, saying "hello" and catching up.
Sure.
Injuries plagued Witherspoon during his final season with Los Angeles, holding him to just six games, and he subsequently signed with Washington during the offseason but won't be taking the field after the latest news.
Overall, Witherspoon played 47 games with the Niners, 33 of them starts, and he ends having spent time with four different teams.
Hopefully, when fans look back, they'll do so positively, even if it's just a recollection of the McCaffrey incident.
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