The San Francisco 49ers traded for Pro Bowl running back Christian McCaffrey late Thursday night, according to multiple sources.
The Carolina Panthers will receive second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-round picks for McCaffrey, who was on the team since his rookie season in 2017.
This acquisition is huge for the 49ers. The San Fran offense led by Jimmy Garoppolo makes the 49ers a serious threat to win the National Football Conference if not the Super Bowl. The quick and crafty McCaffrey will play alongside other All-Pro players on the 49ers offense such as Deebo Samuel and George Kittle now. (RELATED: REPORT: Patriots QB Mac Jones Slated To Return In Time For Monday Night Football. Is The Starting Job Still His?)
#Panthers trade Christian McCaffrey to 49ershttps://t.co/w1ESv3NeIb
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) October 21, 2022
Trade comp: 49ers are sending second-, third- and fourth-round picks in 2023 and a fifth-round pick in 2024 in exchange for RB Christian McCaffrey, sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 21, 2022
McCaffrey makes the San Fran offense very tough to defend. In the previous season, Deebo Samuel looked like one of the best players in the NFL as both a running back and a wide receiver. He had 98 total yards and a touchdown in the 49ers’ loss to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Los Angeles Rams, in the NFC Championship game.
Taking the load off of Samuel to give an elite running back like McCaffrey as many carries, if not more, will make this offense seem impossible to defend.
What helped the 49ers pull off the trade for Christian McCaffrey was that they had six extra 3rd-round compensatory draft picks granted to them for losing Robert Saleh to the Jets, Mike McDaniel to the Dolphins and Martin Mayhew to the Commanders in recent off-seasons.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 21, 2022
And so it comes full circle: Former NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey played for former 49ers OC Mike Shanahan in San Francisco, and now McCaffrey’s son Christian will play for Shanahan’s son Kyle in San Francisco.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 21, 2022
49ers’ RB Christian McCaffrey is scheduled to fly to San Francisco on Friday, when he will meet his new teammates and begin to learn the new playbook. It will be challenging to have him in uniform Sunday vs. the Chiefs, but McCaffrey did go to Stanford and anything possible.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 21, 2022
Every season, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, with Samuel, Kittle, Garoppolo, the gritty veteran 49ers defense, come so close to winning the Super Bowl. In 2020, they lost in the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs and in 2021 they were a just game away from playing in the big game again.
I’m forever grateful for all of the people who have helped make these past 5 1/2 years so special for me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Carolina, I will always love you💙#KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/0rBS8Ajhgy
— Christian McCaffrey (@CMC_22) October 21, 2022
It’s tough to nail predictions right on the head sometimes, but the 49ers adding McCaffrey to the mix makes San Francisco look Super Bowl bound.