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Christian McCaffrey has cemented himself as one of the elite players in the NFL and is a legitimate candidate for the 2023 NFL MVP, but he’s clearly selective when it comes to exchanging jerseys with opposing players after games.
After the 49ers loss to the Vikings on Monday night, a hilarious interaction was caught on the post-game broadcast.
Vikings’ DL Harrison Phillips attempted to exchange jerseys with McCaffrey but was denied by the San Francisco star. The video from the ESPN postgame Manningcast broadcast says it all.
It’s obvious Phillips, a 6-year NFL veteran who finally became a starter for the first time in his career with the Vikings last season, begins to pull off his jersey with the hope to exchange with McCaffrey.
There’s no way to decipher what the 49ers superstar said to Phillips, but the body language speaks volumes, as McCaffrey sort of shakes his head and says a few words as the big man begins to pull off his purple No. 97 jersey.
Peyton And Eli Manning React Hilariously To Moment
With ESPN’s Manningcast still rolling after the final whistle, Peyton realizes what Phillips is attempting to do.
The Hall of Fame QB immediately says, “not a fair trade, not a fair trade.”
Peyton Manning would know best when it comes to these types of scenarios.
Eli chimed in with another hilarious statement.
“Phillips is like ‘hey let’s trade jerseys and McCaffrey is like ‘nah nah nah, I’m good, not doing it. Where’s Hunter Smith, where’s Hunter Smith?”
Eli was clearly referring to Minnesota veteran safety Harrison Smith, who earned 5-straight Pro Bowl trips with the Vikings and holds a bevy of franchise records, including the longest-tenured player on the roster as he’s playing his 12th season for the franchise.
Either way, McCaffrey opted to pose for a photo with the Vikings big man as consolation.
While there isn’t an official etiquette when it comes to post-game jersey swaps, there certainly feels like an unspoken code amongst NFL players, especially the superstars.
McCaffrey Swapped Jerseys With Micah Parsons
Just a few weeks ago on Oct. 8 after the 49ers blowout over the Dallas Cowboys, McCaffrey didn’t hesitate for a jersey swap with one of the top pass rushers in the game, Micah Parsons.
While this isn’t meant to slight Phillips, he isn’t in the same stratosphere as Parsons.
The Cowboys’ 2021 first round pick has consistently created havoc for opposing offensive coordinators and quarterbacks. He earned Defensive Rookie of the Year in his inaugural NFL season with 64 tackles, 13 sacks and three forced fumbles.
Parsons followed his rookie campaign up with another stellar year, with 42 tackles, 13.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and three fumble returns including one he housed for a touchdown.
He’s earned Pro Bowl honors his first two seasons in the league and already has five sacks, a forced fumble and fumble recovery in 2023.
When it comes to McCaffrey, he’s been nearly unstoppable, especially since he was traded to the 49ers last season.
The jack-of-all trades passed NFL legends John Riggins and OJ Simpson in the loss to the Vikings, by reaching the end-zone for the 16th-straight game. Only Lenny Moore stands in front of him now with the NFL record with touchdowns in 17-straight outings back in 1963-64.
So while it’s common to see former college teammates in various positions and points in their career swap jerseys after games, if you’re going to trade with the big boys, there seems to be a clear standard.
Phillips didn’t meet that on Monday night according to McCaffrey, but the Vikings still walked away with a much-needed win over one of the top teams in the NFL.
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