The San Francisco 49ers are trying to clean up some loose ends in free agency after being very active early on. Looking around the league, former Niners cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon just signed with the Washington Commanders.
If there is one thing San Francisco has learned in recent years, it is that the Commanders like to pick up ex-49ers. Obviously, a big reason has to do with the fact their general manager, Adam Peters, was with the Niners from 2017 to 2023 in the front office.
Witherspoon was drafted by San Francisco in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, the first draft under general manager John Lynch back when Peters was vice president of player personnel.
Witherspoon ended up being something of a bust in San Francisco. The Sacramento native showed promise at times in his first few seasons, but he was too inconsistent to rely upon.
Things came to a head in the 2019 season when head coach Kyle Shanahan decided to bench Witherspoon mid-game in the divisional playoff tilt against the Minnesota Vikings. Shanahan opted to go with Emmanuel Moseley the rest of that postseason as he was clearly the superior option.
That effectively ended Witherspoon’s tenure with the Niners. He was still on the roster during the injury-ravaged 2020 pandemic season, but it seemed clear to all the 49ers would have no interest bringing him back once he hit free agency.
He ended his San Francisco career with 47 games played, 24 pass deflections, and four interceptions.
Since his days with the Niners, Witherspoon has played quite well. He had a couple of solid years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, although he struggled to stay on the field and then joined the Los Angeles Rams in 2023. Over the last three seasons with LA, Witherspoon had five total interceptions and 24 pass deflections, although he only played in six games last year as he dealt with injuries.
Now he will play for the Commanders looking to keep his career going. He joins the likes of Drake Jackson and Jake Moody as former 49ers draft busts to end up with the Commanders.
It seems Peters is a big believer in second chances.
It'll be interesting to see how Witherspoon fares in Washington, and the Niners may get to see him first hand as they will face the Commanders in Santa Clara next season.