I honestly never felt that way, to me Bryce seemed to really embrace DC and enjoy playing here.
I think he really embraced DC but when he hired Boras as a teenager and spent years talking about his big free agent contract that doesn't scream, "I'm going to re-sign here!"
When you hire Scott Boras you are looking for the biggest payday possible, period. He's the best agent in baseball, especially when it comes to free agency, and how many high-profile Boras clients sign long-term extensions before they hit the market. Bryce seemed to love playing in DC but his mind was always on setting a record contract and that doesn't really scream, "I want to play here forever." Love the guy, loved watching him in DC, hope he does well wherever he signs, but it would have been foolish to think Bryce was likely to re-sign here. Possible? yeah, absolutely, it's always been possible and there seemed like a time when it could happen smoothly. But unfortunately the last calendar year made it pretty clear it was going to take a weird situation to come back.