Getty Christian McCaffrey carries the ball on October 23, 2022.
Before taking the massive 44-23 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the San Francisco 49ers debut of Christian McCaffrey on Sunday, October 24, turns out the 49ers scored a win over one of the league’s best teams away from the field.
And yes, it involved McCaffrey.
49ers Ended up Outbidding This Contender for McCaffrey
The former top 10 pick and 2019 All-Pro was the subject of many trade rumblings — and it turned out it was much more than the 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams who inquired about “Run CMC.”
Not only did the 49ers one-up their rivals from Southern California, but according to Sports Illustrated on the morning of Monday, October 24, the 49ers even beat out the Philadelphia Eagles for McCaffrey.
That’s right, the league’s only unbeaten took this off the field loss to the 49ers as S.F. reeled in McCaffrey according to Albert Breer of SI’s Monday Morning Quarterback. Breer revealed the day the Eagles tried to make their pursuit.
“More calls poured in Tuesday (October 18), with some teams just fishing—offering a third-rounder or a fourth-rounder to see whether a discount was in the offing. The Broncos and Eagles were among those teams (both have general managers who like to investigate pretty much everything). The day clarified who was really in and who wasn’t,” Breer wrote.
What Could’ve Been in Philly
The 6-0 Eagles, already establishing a stout run game machine under head coach Nick Siranni, nearly came away with the best running back available before the 2022 NFL trade deadline on November 1. That would’ve meant a number of things for the Eagles.
On one end, the Eagles could’ve inserted “Run CMC” to an offense that’s first in the league with 13 rushing touchdowns. Furthermore, Sirianni would’ve paired McCaffrey with a fast-rising dual threat passer in Jalen Hurts, who leads Philly with six rushing touchdowns. McCaffrey hadn’t played with a dual-threat passer since Cam Newton early on in the former Stanford star’s NFL career.
Lastly, such a move would’ve placed “Run CMC” in a backfield room with former 49ers third rounder Trey Sermon.
The Eagles, though, only ended up offering a future third and fourth rounder to the Carolina Panthers (Denver had a similar offer). Breer mentioned how the 49ers remained one of the more steadfast teams in chasing McCaffrey following Tuesday.
“By Thursday, the 49ers and Rams had emerged as leaders,” Breer wrote.
How the 49ers Beat Out the Rival Rams Next
Yet, both NFC West rivals faced a dilemma, including the 49ers.
“But neither had a first-rounder in 2023, which would force those two to be creative and find a way to generate a return that would satisfy the Panthers,” Breer wrote.
In the end, the 49ers managed to have something the Rams didn’t have in their list of options: The Niners having a fourth rounder as a giveaway option to Carolina.
“That’s how the Panthers and 49ers came to the final deal—second-, third- and fourth-rounders in 2023 and a fifth-rounder in ’24. In the end, the tiebreaker between the 49ers’ and Rams’ offers was the fact that the Rams didn’t have a fourth-rounder in ’23,” Breer wrote.
Why wasn’t a fourth rounder available on the Rams’ side? Because of a major trade they made one year ago.
“That one’s gone [the fourth rounder], thanks to last year’s Sony Michel trade,” Breer wrote. “And the final point value of the package, as the 49ers and Panthers calculated it, wound up between 31 and 34 (very low first- and very high second-round picks).”
So there you have it 49ers Faithful. The Niners ended up out-smarting and out-bidding even the league’s lone unbeaten and the defending Super Bowl champion to land McCaffrey.
But now, the Rams are next on the 49ers’ horizon on Sunday, October 30. And in all likelihood, McCaffrey will see an increase from the 22 offensive snaps he was given in the 21-point loss to the Chiefs.