The 49ers landed Christian McCaffrey in a blockbuster trade with the Panthers last week in exchange for second-, third- and fourth-round draft picks in 2023, and a fifth-rounder in ’24. The deal gave San Francisco’s offense a major boost and a dynamic playmaker, much to the chagrin of Sean McVay and the Rams.
Los Angeles was among the other suitors in the pursuit of McCaffrey, along with the Bills, Eagles and Broncos, sources told Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. However, none could match the price offered by the Niners, who were also the first team to reach out to Carolina.
Missing out on McCaffrey was a difficult pill to swallow for the Rams, but having the dual-threat running back land on a division rival made matters even worse. McVay told reporters on Monday that his initial reaction to the deal was “Oh s–t, they get another great player.”
“I think he’s a phenomenal player,” McVay continued in his press conference. “Obviously, we saw him recently. I’ve always had respect for his game and the versatility. I think that’s your first inclination, and then you know what a great job Kyle [Shanahan] and his staff do of maximizing and utilizing versatile offensive weapons. That was my first reaction. Then as a competitor, you say, ‘Hey, they got him.’ We’ve gotta be able to move forward accordingly and it just so happens that they’re on the schedule this week.”
Los Angeles’s final offer was second- and third-rounders in 2023, fourth- and fifth-rounders in ’24 and running back Cam Akers, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to beat out the Niners. According to Breer, the tiebreaker was the fact that the Rams didn’t have a fourth-round pick in 2023 to send back to the Panthers.
McCaffrey made his debut in a limited fashion for the 49ers on Sunday, tallying eight carries for 38 yards and two catches for 24 yards in a 44–23 loss to the Chiefs. He’ll get the opportunity for a more complete workload this upcoming weekend against none other than McVay and the Rams.
The NFC West rivals will square off Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.
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