Christian McCaffrey

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan reacted Friday morning to the acquisition of star running back Christian McCaffrey and spoke on how quick he will suit up for San ...

"It was more a big smile and then like, 'All right, I've got to go back and redo third downs, redo red zone, redo everything,'" Shanahan said. Beyond Week 7, CMC should be fully immersed in the offense. "I know for sure he'll be here the following Sunday.

Christian McCaffrey was already a star on a bad Panthers team, but Andy Behrens thinks he's fantasy's RB1 after being dealt to the 49ers. What else did the ...

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But it got one anyway when ESPN's Adam Schefter broke some news: The San Francisco 49ers were trading for star Carolina Panthers running back Christian ...

But in San Francisco, we won’t see that McCaffrey relocation in a vacuum—we will see it in context, coupled with the way the Niners move Samuel in and out of the backfield, and the way they generate YAC opportunities better than any other offense. How much a back’s receiving value matters is also a real head-scratcher—that’s why the addition of McCaffrey to San Francisco challenges so much of our understanding about how a running back affects the offense. Do you want to put a linebacker over McCaffrey, giving the offense a plus matchup and telling Garoppolo that you’re playing man coverage—or do you want to put the linebacker over Samuel as he releases from the backfield? Do you want to go light personnel and try to get extra DBs on the field? Do you want the 49ers to run for 300 yards? Do you want numbers in the box for the potential Deebo handoff? Do you want to get numbers over the McCaffrey side, worried about a WR screen and free yardage? But McCaffrey will make the running game a lot more difficult to defend because he makes the entire offense more difficult to defend. McCaffrey’s presence in the backfield will certainly make the running game a little better, in that he is a more talented runner than Jeff Wilson or Elijah Mitchell—but that’s a marginal gain, given how well Shanahan has designed running games around different backs in different seasons. The plug-’n’-chug nature of outside-zone rushing—get the defense going one way, get upfield, and gash them—has been so dominant for so long that it has now become the league meta, and accordingly, defenses have learned how to adjust. Late draft picks can step in and replace incumbent veterans without much, if any, drop-off in the effectiveness of the running game. Now, their second- and third-rounders in the upcoming draft belong to Carolina.

Christian McCaffrey is headed west. In the running back's wake remains a Panthers team forced to answer questions about its future.

More importantly, Carolina has four picks in the first three rounds of the 2022 draft, which Fitterer sees as a good place to start reshaping the roster. The responsibility now falls squarely on the shoulders of Fitterer, who is tasked with spending Carolina's picks wisely in order to add quality talent to a team that doesn't exactly lack it. Fitterer told reporters Friday that interest in McCaffrey started picking up Tuesday, and he received three legitimate offers, including a couple of "test-the-waters" type of offers; Rapoport reported Thursday the Rams were also in play for the RB. Carolina is now stocked with selections to remake the team into a winner through the draft, leading many to wonder whether the Panthers might surrender their hopes of contending in 2022 in order to better position themselves for the future. [via the Charlotte Observer's Scott Fowler](https://twitter.com/scott_fowler/status/1583482618481242112). [McCaffrey trade](https://www.nfl.com/news/panthers-trading-rb-christian-mccaffrey-to-49ers-in-exchange-for-host-of-draft-p) did not shock anyone, of course, [as it had been rumored](https://www.nfl.com/news/panthers-rb-christian-mccaffrey-trying-to-tune-out-trade-talk) since coach Matt Rhule was [fired](https://www.nfl.com/news/panthers-fire-head-coach-matt-rhule-after-1-4-start-to-season) on Oct.

McCaffrey had served as the face of the Panthers' franchise, as evidenced by a four-year, $64 million contract extension he signed in 2020. However, the team ...

[college football](/college-football/) at Stanford, McCaffrey was chosen by the Panthers with the No. In spite of McCaffrey's individual brilliance, his efforts went largely to waste as his Panthers teams aged and went into decline. He finishes his Panthers career with 3,980 rushing yards and 3,292 receiving yards, marks which rank fourth and sixth in franchise history, respectively. McCaffrey, an All-Pro dual threat running back and the Panthers' biggest star, was traded to San Francisco in exchange for second, third, and fourth-round picks in the 2023 [NFL Draft](/nfl/draft/), as well as a fifth-round pick in 2024. However, the team has fallen apart around him, and Carolina was in desperate need of more draft picks after only having four in 2023 due to a series of trades. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

That includes some news, with the Panthers trading Christian McCaffrey out of the division in a blockbuster with San Francisco. It also includes a look at Terry ...

And they'll probably have a high draft pick, in the range where they can pick up a top quarterback prospect in the draft. You also look at the rest of the division and the Saints are down on their luck and there's no telling how long Tom Brady continues playing in Tampa. It is unfortunate that he had that reputation of sloppy handling before the Falcons, but I am hopeful that he will be able to put it in the rearview mirror and continue his development. The NFC South looks up for grabs this year and in the future. But they have started well in large part because of the talent brought in on a tiiiiiiiiiight budget. Now he's had to unlearn the thinking of all those coordinators in addition to relearning - at the same time, no less - thinking and plays from Smith. And getting a quarterback on a budget in Marcus Mariota has been a positive. And, now, with the benefit of hindsight, getting a second-round pick and more for Julio Jones was a good return. They chose to stand and fight and have found a way to compete at this point. That includes some news, with the Panthers trading Christian McCaffrey out of the division in a blockbuster with San Francisco. There's more than $65 million he currently can't use on talent, yet the Falcons are right in the thick of it. Do you think Fontenot is one of the best general managers in the league?

It's apparently the week for belatedly rustling up good karma at 49ers headquarters. First, safety Jimmie Ward apologized for saying in the offseason that ...

First, safety Jimmie Ward apologized for saying in the offseason that he was licking his chops over this Sunday's matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs and [Travis Kelce](https://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/travis-kelse-lapped-49ers-kittle-17520244.php). “Them boys are going to smell blood in the water. … Them boys kept the receipts.”

I won't go as far to say that general manager John Lynch and Co. heeded my call. But late Thursday evening, news broke that pretty much shattered the NFL news ...

But the question becomes whether anyone selected in that range would have anywhere near the same impact as a healthy Christian McCaffrey over the next three-plus seasons. This would likely include restructuring the contracts of Williams, Armstead, Warner, Kittle and Charvarius Ward, who are set to count a combined $76-plus million against the cap in 2023. The 49ers are projected to pick up two third-round compensatory picks under the guise of the NFL’s minority hiring program. This should leave the 49ers with a nice amount of selections once all is said and done. As it stands, the 49ers have avenues that could help with the cap next spring. The addition of McCaffrey changes the dynamics for San Francisco’s offense in a big way. The McCaffrey trade brings this to well under $10 million. [four-year, $64 million contract](https://www.forbes.com/profile/christian-mccaffrey/) that he signed back in April of 2020. San Francisco is on the hook for a pro-rated version of that (roughly $669,705.00). From a salary cap perspective, this deal does very little in 2022. In fact, his 33 receptions this season would lead the 49ers. But late Thursday evening, news broke that pretty much shattered the NFL news cycle.

McCaffrey had been more than just a running back to this franchise and to their offense. He was the offense. Through the post-Cam Newton era—with the likes of ...

As for the legacy of that player, McCaffrey always gave the Panthers everything he could. From wrecking opposing defenses out of the backfield, through the air and in their game plans, McCaffrey provided Carolina with a unique trump card. Those assets help fill the voids left behind by mistakes from the Matt Rhule reign—follies that poked holes in future draft boards for the sake of underwhelming quarterback projects. [reported](https://twitter.com/1043TheFan/status/829046281364525062) the organization’s first hint of interest in the Stanford University prospect nearly three months before the 2017 draft, it didn’t seem real. (Dude actually accounted for over 75 percent of what that offense mustered up.) When that eighth overall pick would go on to rush for 1,000 yards and reel in 1,000 more two years later, it didn’t seem real.

Your fantasy headlines for Friday, Oct. 21: The Christian McCaffrey trade shakes up the 49ers and the Panthers. DJ Moore is unlikely to be next, ...

[Gus Edwards](http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3051926/gus-edwards) is also close to returning from injured reserve. After Week 6's loss to the Giants, offensive coordinator Greg Roman noted that [Devin Duvernay](https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4039050/devin-duvernay) should be more involved; this would be even more likely if Andrews were ruled out. WR [Rashod Bateman](http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4360939/rashod-bateman) is on track to return this week after dealing with a foot injury. [Kenyan Drake](https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/2979843/kenyan-drake), who filled in for Dobbins last week and finished with 19.7 fantasy points. Then, Adam Schefter joins to talk the storylines to watch in Week 7, including who needs to be on your radar for a late-season push. In the two games earlier this season when Hollins had eight or more targets, he finished with a combined 41.5 fantasy points. Hubbard (96.5%) and Foreman (95.8%) are available in a high percentage of ESPN leagues. In the event he is inactive, fantasy managers should turn to [fantasy football](/fantasy/football/) Daily Notes every weekday to stay caught up on the news you need to know and get a head start on the fantasy football content coming today and tomorrow to ESPN.com and the ESPN Fantasy App. [Derrick Henry](http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3043078/derrick-henry) when he suffered a foot injury in Week 8 last season, Foreman had success with the Titans. Going deeper: After playing in all 16 games in each of his first three NFL seasons, McCaffrey was limited by injuries to just 10 combined games in 2020 and 2021. As soon as he takes the field, he can be considered a high-end RB1 with a shot at finishing as fantasy's most valuable player for the season.

Shanahan has reached a Super Bowl and another NFC championship game during his tenure in San Francisco. Once again, the 49ers are in the heart of the playoff ...

The [Panthers](https://www.si.com/nfl/team/carolina-panthers) sent the superstar running back to the [49ers](https://www.si.com/nfl/team/san-francisco-49ers) in exchange for second, third and fourth-round NFL draft picks in 2023, and a fifth-round pick in 2024, according to [NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport](https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1583298134955814912?s=20&t=pgcQBmuuxXGj78zkmxdduA). On the year, McCaffrey has 670 total yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. If everything clicks, however, the sky’s the limit for Shanahan’s offense with this big new acquisition. The Bay Area presents something of a homecoming for McCaffrey. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan is known for building dynamic rushing attacks, no matter which running back he has in the backfield—and he has had many players go off for huge games in his offense. Shanahan has reached a Super Bowl and another NFC championship game during his tenure in San Francisco.