As the teams warmed up before their Week 6 game last season, 49ers general manager John Lynch had a brief, pleasant exchange with Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer.
Lynch ended his small talk with the big words that would set in motion a blockbuster trade between the teams.
“Let’s catch up this week,” Lynch said.
After the 49ers’ 37-15 road win, the club traveled to the Greenbrier Resort near the southeast corner of West Virginia. As the team prepared for the upcoming game against the Atlanta Falcons, Lynch had his first conversation with Fitterer to find out if the Panthers were willing to trade running back Christian McCaffrey.
And if the Panthers were willing to part with their best player, at what cost?
Today marks one year since the 49ers completed the deal to acquire McCaffrey for four draft picks: second-, third- and fourth-round selections in the 2023 NFL Draft, as well as a fifth-rounder in 2024.
The 49ers outbid the Los Angeles Rams to acquire McCaffrey. And San Francisco has been at the top of the NFC West ever since.
Coach Kyle Shanahan initially expressed skepticism to Lynch – in the form of a few pointed words – that he could go through with the trade. Shanahan wasn’t alone. In the 49ers’ locker room, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, tight end George Kittle and linebacker Fred Warner were among those talking about it, jokingly predicting that McCaffrey would head to Santa Clara.
Lynch got the feeling from Fitterer that the Panthers, who fired coach Matt Rhule the day after the loss to the 49ers, were ready to collect draft picks and begin a rebuild.
“Kyle and I both felt like Christian was the guy that could open up this offense,” Lynch said. “We were really good. But that could make all the difference.”
With him, the 49ers could be the most talented squad in the NFL – despite their surprising 19-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
McCaffrey’s arrival, along with the emergence of quarterback Brock Purdy, has taken the 49ers’ offense to a higher level.
In 20 games (19 starts) since the trade that brought him to the 49ers, McCaffrey has rushed for 1,537 yards (5.0 average) and 15 touchdowns while catching 87 passes for 702 yards and seven touchdowns.
Here’s a timeline of the past year, starting from the moment the sides completed the deal:
Thursday, Oct. 20, 6:30 p.m. — Lynch spoke to Fitterer on the phone. Heart racing, he called Shanahan to break the news and pass on the cost of doing business.
“Everything you do in this business is a gamble,” Shanahan said. “But if you want to play, do it with talent first. And I want to do it with character, football character, and I see that very strongly in this guy.”
Meanwhile, Fitterer called McCaffrey a short time later.
“When I called him to tell him he was traded, he said, ‘Great.'” Fitterer said NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jennifer Lee Chan. “He was just about to hang up when he said, ‘Oh, where am I going?’ I said, “It’s San Francisco.” “
Friday, October 21, 2022 — McCaffrey arrives in Santa Clara, puts on his new uniform and makes his way to the field while his new teammates are already going through their training.
“He came out in the middle of practice, so we just went for it,” Shanahan said. “He looked at everything and then our trainers stayed with him just to train a little bit and teach him a few things.”
Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022 — Hall of Famer Joe Montana was in attendance at Levi’s Stadium. And he was as curious as anyone about McCaffrey’s debut.
“How quickly he gets into this offense, I don’t know how much he’s going to experience today,” Montana said. “I’m sure he’ll see something. They probably have a few packages for him, so he’ll be fun to watch.”
McCaffrey had an encounter with a 49ers legend who confirmed he was no longer in Carolina.
“That’s what I’ll always remember: Jerry [Rice] was on the field,” McCaffrey said. “He came up to me and greeted me warmly, and I said, ‘That’s Jerry Rice sitting on the field, man.’ ”
Despite joining his new teammates just two days before the Week 7 game against the Kansas City Chiefs, McCaffrey was healthy and played 23 snaps behind starter Jeff Wilson Jr.
McCaffrey rushed for 38 yards on eight carries and caught two passes for 24 yards. The 49ers lost 44-23. It would be a while before they lost again.
Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022 — Nearly a week after McCaffrey was informed of the trade, he was still processing what happened. After all, he was an integral part of the Carolina community. And just three years earlier, he had put together one of the greatest seasons of all time when he joined Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk as the only players to gain 1,000 yards as both a rusher and a receiver in the same season.
“I understand this is a business, but every time someone gets rid of you or something happens, you take it personally,” McCaffrey said.
That same day, Shanahan was in his office drawing up a plan for the upcoming game against the Los Angeles Rams. He asked his coaching staff if anyone knew if McCaffrey could throw the ball. Tight ends coach Brian Fleury found a video clip of McCaffrey throwing a 50-yard touchdown pass in 2018 and sent it to Shanahan.
Friday, October 28, 2022 — After Shanahan watched McCaffrey throw the ball in practice, a halfback pass was added to the game plan for the NFC West rivals’ matchup.
Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022 — McCaffrey got his first start and delivered a memorable performance. McCaffrey became the first player since the Chargers’ LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005 to score a rushing, receiving and passing touchdown in the same game.
“I think everyone knows what a good player he is, but I just like how consistent he is and how he controls everything,” Shanahan said. “He’s a very smart player.”
McCaffrey delivered a 34-yard touchdown pass to receiver Brandon Aiyuk in the second quarter. In the third quarter, he scored a 9-yard touchdown on a pass from Jimmy Garoppolo. He then had a 1-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter of the 49ers’ 31-14 win.
He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Sunday, December 4, 2022 — After being held out of the end zone for two straight plays, McCaffrey teamed up with quarterback Brock Purdy on a 3-yard touchdown pass with 0:04 left in the first half to give the 49ers a 17-10 lead over Miami to provide Dolphins. The 49ers cruised to a 33-17 victory in a game in which Purdy, as it turned out, took over permanently for the injured Jimmy Garoppolo.
Purdy and McCaffrey had already developed a bond when Purdy assisted McCaffrey in his crash course in learning the 49ers’ offense.
“We always sat down before the game and went over the scripts together,” Purdy said. “He literally wanted me to read every single piece. He would say where he is, what he is doing, what his job is. It’s crazy to see how quickly he learned things when he got here and how he already knew our playbook inside and out. It was wild to see.”
McCaffrey’s thoroughness and attention to detail behind the scenes left an impression on Purdy.
“I think, man, that’s what greatness looks like,” Purdy said.
Sunday, January 8th – McCaffrey ended the regular season with a light day’s work — playing less than half of the 49ers’ offensive snaps — against the Arizona Cardinals. He caught a touchdown pass in a 38-13 win at Levi’s Stadium.
Overall (six games with Carolina, 11 with the 49ers), McCaffrey finished the season with 1,139 yards rushing and eight touchdowns, along with 81 catches for 741 yards and five receiving touchdowns.
Saturday, January 14th – It was just McCaffrey’s second appearance in the NFL postseason and his first in five years. He was key to a 49ers 181-yard game against the Seattle Seahawks. He carried 15 carries for 119 yards and scored the game’s first touchdown on a 3-yard reception from Purdy for a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
“There’s more at stake,” McCaffrey said after the 49ers’ 41-23 win. “It’s win the tournament or go home, but the way this team prepares and practices is very similar to every week since I’ve been here.”
Sunday, January 22nd – McCaffrey suffered a bruised right calf during the 49ers’ 19-12 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in an NFC divisional round game at Levi’s Stadium. He was limited, gaining just 35 yards on 10 carries. But his 2-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter broke a 9-9 score and gave the 49ers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
“I struggled but came through great,” McCaffrey said. “Nothing bad. Everything good.”
On to the NFC Championship Game.
Sunday, January 29th – The 49ers had no chance after Purdy tore ligaments in his elbow in Game 6 against the top-seeded Philadelphia Eagles.
Still, McCaffrey provided some hope when a determined 23-yard touchdown run around right end tied the game at 7-7 in the second quarter.
After backup quarterback Josh Johnson was knocked out of the game due to a concussion, the 49ers brought Purdy back into the game despite his inability to throw.
The 49ers had 164 total net yards, McCaffrey accounted for 106 yards, including 84 rushing yards on 15 carries.
Wednesday, February 9th – The pain of the 31-7 loss to the Eagles was still fresh when McCaffrey attended media row in Phoenix in the days leading up to the Super Bowl.
“It’s really hard,” McCaffrey told Kay Adams on the “Up & Adams” show. “Of course you don’t want to apologize. It just sucks because we wish we had a healthy quarterback for an entire game. It’s a really good team we played against. But it feels like something has been stolen.”
Wednesday, May 10th – Nearly seven months after the trade, McCaffrey reflected on the move while on stage with 49ers greats Jerry Rice and John Taylor during the Dwight Clark Legacy Series in San Jose.
“Looking back, I truly believe it’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” McCaffrey said. “But it was bittersweet back then, right? You go. In my head, I was honestly pissed. I felt like, “You don’t want me anymore.” That’s it. I really wanted to get back to playing the football I knew I could play.”
Tuesday, August 8th – A week into training camp, McCaffrey could feel the difference from the previous season. After participating in the entire offseason program, he now had a thorough grasp of the intricacies of the system.
“Coming into camp, you don’t have to play catch-up,” he said, “so it was great to not only learn the offense but also master it.”
Sunday, September 10th – McCaffrey quickly re-established himself as the focal point of the 49ers offense in his first game of his first full season with the club.
He rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, securing a decisive 30-7 road win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. McCaffrey’s 65-yard touchdown run was among the highlights.
“The whole run game is an 11-man job and they made great blocks,” McCaffrey said. “I had a little spin there, got jumped and then it was Brandon Aiyuk and Ray-Ray McCloud downfield. If you have receivers, then.” Making a block like that is a special feeling for a running back because you really feel like your guys are behind you. It’s a great feeling when you’re out there.”
Sunday, October 1st – McCaffrey scored four touchdowns in a 35-16 win over the Cardinals. He surpassed Rice’s team record with his 13th consecutive game, including the postseason, with at least one touchdown.
McCaffrey had 177 yards from scrimmage, becoming the first player in 49ers history to rush for 100 or more yards and a touchdown in the first four games of the season.
The 49ers had the ball near the goal line in the fourth quarter, but Shanahan called Purdy’s number for a quarterback sneak.
“I never know anything like that,” Shanahan said. “I was actually shocked and now I feel kind of bad about it. I wish I gave him five, he deserves it.”
Sunday, October 15th – McCaffrey scored on a shovel pass from Purdy in the first quarter of the 49ers’ Week 6 game at the Cleveland Browns, extending his touchdown streak to 15 straight games. He shared second place with OJ Simpson and John Riggins. Baltimore’s Lenny Moore holds the NFL record with touchdowns in 17 consecutive games.
McCaffrey suffered an oblique injury that sidelined him for the fourth quarter of the 49ers’ 19-17 loss, as the 49ers fell from the ranks of the undefeated and had their regular-season winning streak snapped at 15 games.
Thursday, October 19th – McCaffrey has not practiced and his status for the 49ers’ game on Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings could be in question.
What isn’t uncertain is the impact McCaffrey has made in a calendar year since the blockbuster trade brought him to the 49ers.
Obviously, Shanahan knew a lot about McCaffrey before his arrival. But he’s learned a lot more about the star running back in the last 365 days.
McCaffrey enters Week 7 as a contender for NFL Most Valuable Player. He leads the league with 553 yards rushing. He is second with seven touchdowns. McCaffrey also ranks second in the NFL with 730 yards entering the game.
But his contributions to the 49ers go far beyond just the numbers.
“I think it’s the example he sets for everyone,” Shanahan said. “He reminds me of the mentality of a common man trying to get people’s attention because he works so hard. And he is one of the most talented players in the league.
“And every single play is like the greatest thing in the world, whether he gets the ball or not. He’s a really great example of what it takes to be a football player.”
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