San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch spoke with reporters on Friday, discussing the team's trade for running back Christian McCaffrey ahead of its Week 7 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. Here is everything they had to say.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
General Manager John Lynch
Opening Comments:
"Obviously, we're in our preparation for the Chiefs, so that's really where our focus is right now because they deserve that. They're an excellent football team and as formidable of an opponent as it gets. That's where all of our focus is, but you have to strike when the opportunity is there and I can't tell you how excited we are to have landed [RB] Christian McCaffrey as part of our team. We've been working on it for some time and it all came to fruition last night. It did take a lot to get him, but I think he's worthy of that. He's that kind of player. Before I open it up to questions, I'll just add that you only do this when you have belief in your team as it's constructed. The previous time we made a big splash like this was [former San Francisco 49ers WR] Emmanuel Sanders back in '19 because we felt like we had the team capable of competing for the whole deal. We're 3-3 now, I think we were 6-0 when we did that, but we're 3-3 now so we understand we have a lot of work to do, this isn't a magic pill. It's not going to fix all of our ills as a team, one player. We've all got to get better, but we still very much believe in this team and that's why we took a swing at an excellent football player.
Did these conversations start when you were in Carolina?
"They started at The Greenbrier after we had played them. I had seen [Carolina Panthers GM] Scott [Fitterer] in person at the Carolina game and said let's catch up this week. We were at off The Greenbrier, we started having conversations. You really are just trying to gather information, is he available, if so, what's the ballpark of what it's going to take and started really having conversations with [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan], spending a lot of time with Kyle asking what do you think in every sense. You want to keep these things quiet in all facets of the organization, the analytics, contracts, we look at it from every aspect and everything just seemed to align that it was a really good fit, and we all appreciated his game. Obviously, there's a lot of ties there, but I think even if there were no ties, you turn on the film and you see that this kid is an excellent football player, so we're fortunate to have him."
He played about 86% of the snaps against you in Week Five, which is typical for him. Was mileage a concern and is mileage going forward a concern? Did you discuss capping his snaps or anything like that moving forward?
"No, we discussed it all. First of all, you have to look at his history coming out of Stanford, really a pristine health record. The last couple of years have been rough, but it really felt like this year he had reestablished that health. I've been there in my own career. I started off and struggled to stay on the field then went eight, nine years without missing a game. Sometimes there's those ebbs and flows. You can never have complete certainty on that, that's beyond our control, but we try to make the best decision we can. This guy has played a lot of football this year, really good football throughout his career and he's an extremely versatile player. He's an explosive football player, he's a smart football guy. I can go on and on. He checks all the boxes."
How palatable is his contract past this year and have you considered this being a long-term arrangement?
I think there were some dynamics to that. First of all because he had done a conversion earlier this year, he was incredibly cheap, so his compensation was going to be higher because of that. It's not every day you get a guy like Christian at the minimum. That's essentially where we got him, but he still has years on his contract after that, so I think we're taking it step by step, but obviously, that helps to know he's got some years after this year and it's not just an 11-game, for lack of a better word, rental."
How significant was it to give away those draft picks that can be used to bolster the defensive line or the secondary where you've had some injury issues?
"I think we really tried to build this thing the right way. We value picks. I think there's a belief that some people don't value picks. We certainly value our picks and I think that's why we could entertain doing something like this. We have a lot of our core locked up, that's not to say you don't have holes that you have to fill from year to year. It's really hard to part with draft picks because I like our process and I like our ability to identify people that fit with us, but when you have an opportunity at a player like this, that's what we had to challenge ourselves with and we did and ultimately we said, let's try to make it happen."
You still have picks, just not in the first and second round. How much does the success of your process, your scouting department finding those gems in the later rounds, how much did that buoy your confidence to move forward without those early round picks?
"That's the thing. After practice today, we'll get on a Zoom with all our college scouts and just this morning trying to anticipate, are they excited, are they bummed because here goes all their guys. My message is going to be, this is all the more reason we have to make these picks count. We're fortunate that some different avenues, minority coaches that brought us some picks. I think that empowers you to do something like this because you have a couple of comp threes, and you'll get more in the future with things of that nature. But ultimately, you weigh everything and because of our belief in our team and what we feel we can do and what he does for us as a football team, you try to make a move like this, and it broke our way."
With the number of picks you traded, the position he plays and the history of injuries, some people would say this is a gamble. Would you agree?
"Everything is a gamble. Hopefully, it's a well thought out gamble and you put a lot of thought into it. I know we have. I'd also say, I believe like a lot of really good players, [RB Christian McCaffrey] he's a lot more than just a running back. I think he's a perfect player for the way Kyle and our offensive staff does things. I think he brings a lot more than just running back skills. He's an incredibly accomplished receiver. He's got tremendous feel. He can play with speed, he can play with power, he can play with quickness. He can do it all. And we've seen that firsthand playing against him. You've seen it right up to the last game he played. He's an excellent football player. There's no denying that and we like adding guys like that to the mix."
Will we see him on Sunday?
"I just brought him in here, got his cleats, got his helmet. He just got off a plane, passed a physical, it's a tall order, right? And we're going to do what's right by Christian, what's right by our team. I do think that's a tall order, but we'll see how much we can accelerate this. He's asking to [laughs]. Like he said, you guys will talk to him later, this is just a road game. I've practiced twice this week. I got on a plane, I came out here. So, I'll leave that to the coaches and whatnot to get Christian up to speed. But I do think it's a tall order and we'd sure love to have him but it's a lot to ask. So, we'll make a very thought-out decision on that as well."
What factors will go into that decision?
"Well, I think that will be a coaching decision. We do a lot before the ball's even snapped, so I think there's a lot of layers to that, a lot of different factors, but I think first and foremost, physically, are you in position? He's scrambling out there to want to get into practice and you take him to the side, he said, let's make sure we warm up and let's take this thing step by step. But every game is so important. So, you battle all these things and you just have to let the right people weigh in and make a good decision for Christian's best interest and for ours as a team."
Was any part of this trade that he just can't go to the Rams?
"I'm glad he's not there. That's always an interesting question because I always say, hey guys, it's about us. That's how I was raised. That's the way [former Indianapolis Colts head coach] Tony Dungy talked. It's about us. If you're so focused on your opponents, you're not going to do very well. But I also know the fastest way to success in our league is winning your division. And so, in part, it seems like a lot of these situations end up where it's us against them in these things and I'm sure glad he's here and not there."
How long did that auction get yesterday?
"I was trying to [get it done quickly], because I know their propensity to come in late and go big. And so, I was trying to get it done before, but that wasn't going happen. [Carolina Panthers GM] Scott Fitterer was tremendous to work with. I think their owner was never on the phone with me, but very involved and I don't think he much cared how we valued things. I think he's a numbers guy who sees things a certain way. And so, we had to be patient, wait it through and ultimately weigh it at the end of the day if it was a good decision for us. And ultimately we felt it was."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan was talking about how much he liked Christian in 2017. How close were you guys to doing this at that time?
"Oh gosh. There's so many different dynamics. Do you take him there? Do you move back and maybe take him? And ultimately, we made the decision we made, but we were joking with him today that we just had to get things right before we brought him in here. So, it took six years to do that and get everything nice and primed for him. And we got him here. And that's a good thing. It is weird, the connections. I remember vividly throwing balls to Eddie [McCaffrey] when I was a quarterback and he was a receiver at Stanford. I remember being at fraternity parties with Lisa [McCaffrey] and Ed when they first started dating and things like that. So, it goes back and obviously the Shanahan's dynamics, but this is, this is much bigger than that. I keep saying it, but it is the respect I have for him having seen our teams play against him and seeing him. He's a fabulous football player in every respect. And I think he brings a mindset that we like too. I think he's a fit in every way, the type of mindset. You talk to people who've played with him, who've coached him, there's an accountability that he brings like the great players do and it has an effect, it's a force multiplier. It makes everyone around him better. So, we're going to take it as it comes. We're not going to force anything. But all of those things went into us making this decision to try to land him."
Is there any switch or any change in just the philosophy on how you view running backs because it seems like you've had success with undrafted guys and here in the last two years, third round draft picks invested in running backs and now this move.
"We've taken our swings at them because we feel it's really important to the way we play and Kyle often says at the end of last year with [RB] Elijah [Mitchell] and [WR] Deebo [Samuel], we had a Pro Bowl, All-Pro type running back, type running game. We're encouraged by some of the younger guys, [RB] Jeff Wilson's a heck of a back, as we're seeing he's getting his opportunity, he's shining. So, we like our group. That is a tough position and we like using them all in a variety of ways. So, we just like continuing to add to that dynamic. I do feel like this guy has an ability to do kind of all of the above. And he's not just a running back. We can use him and he and Deebo to me are very similar players, and so I'm excited to see what we draw, but first we have a lot to focus on with the Chiefs and so we just have to take this thing step by step. But I can't tell you how excited I am and the locker room. I really believe it gave the locker room a jolt when he walked in there today. It was fun to see that dynamic as well."
There's a lot of rising salary cap. Guys whose cap hits are going to go up quite a bit, I assume you want to lock up DL Nick Bosa with an extension?
"Yeah, I think that would be a good idea. I think obviously those things go into it. There's flexibility, there's options and you take all those things into account. I think we have a plan now when you add something like this, you can't just keep doing this over and over and over again. But we feel like we can make it work and we'll obviously put a lot of thought into it, but there's going to be some inflection points where we have to figure some things out and we will."
Head Coach Kyle Shanahan
Opening comments:
"What's going on today with you guys? There's usually only like four here. Alright. Injuries guys: [DL Arik] Armstead will be out, [CB Charvarius Ward] Mooney will be questionable, [S Talanoa Hufanga] Huff will be questionable. Go ahead."
How much work did RB Christian McCaffrey get out there today and does he look like he could play on Sunday?
"He didn't get any. He came out like halfway through practice, so we just got loose. He watched it all and then our coaches stayed with him after just to get a small workout in and teach him a few things."
Sunday then?
"I don't know. I haven't even talked to him, so I know it's not a physical thing. He's got practice in this week, so I'm going to meet with him whenever you guys let me out of here and we'll kind of figure it out then."
Could you say what the factors are that go into the decision of whether or not he can play on Sunday?
"Just talking to him like where he would be in the offense and stuff. I've got to talk to the other coaches. I mean this happened last night, it's not like everyone knew it was happening. So, it factors into special teams, who we can get up, who's down. There's no way he could be ready to, anyone can get up and have a limited package, but what happens with an injury and stuff when someone has to go in and do everything and those are the things we've got to really think through."
What excites you the most about the dynamic he adds to your offense?
"I don't think there's anything he can't do. Just whether it's in the pass game, the run game, blocking, I think he's a very talented player. And just watching how he plays, he's a very smart player. He always gets to the right hole, is very smooth, and we've seen that at every level he's played in."
Kind of similar to that question, but general manager John Lynch referred to him as like the perfect player for your system. What makes him the perfect player for your system?
"I think he's a real good player in every system and that's John, I think there's a lot of, I mean, any really good player is perfect player for our system. But I mean, he's a very good runner so he's going to be good in everything. He also has very good hands. He also has separation ability in the pass game. And I also think he's a guy, just mentally, who can handle a lot. So, the more guys can handle, the more you put on them."
You've talked in the past about how what the Rams have done has kind of buoyed your confidence in making similar moves to this and then also trying to keep guys from them. How much did that play into this? I know it's not the reason, but you know, is it a reason?
"I mean, it's definitely a bonus. I think everybody would love the opportunity to have a player like Christian. And so, I think everyone looks into it, but it's also nice to keep a good player away from the team that we have to compete with year in and year out. So that definitely helps. I think just, it's not just the Rams but watching a number teams over the years in the last, since we've been here, just make trades and stuff and some work, some don't. But it just wasn't like how I think it was for all of us 10 years ago to go, even 15 years ago when that stuff was unheard of. You didn't even discuss it. It's always a risk in everything you do and sometimes it's a risk not doing it. But anytime you have examples, like I think we've had a bunch of them the Rams have given them to us almost every year, the examples, but I watch other teams who have done it too and you get to make, it's nice to watch people do it and see what's good from it, what's bad from it and that's why I like how, I like that it's not how he used to be in that that was always out of the discussion."
John said that his first conversation with Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer about Christian was in West Virginia. Do you remember your first conversation with John when it became, kind of put on your radar, like this is a possibility?
"I mean, we've mentioned it to each other since probably any of you guys heard about it. I mean anytime the trade, anytime you get close to the trade deadline, I think just media wise and stuff, there's always five names or whatever that come up. So, when always that happens and every friend calls me right away or texts me or my wife says right away, hey, this guy's available, you got to go get him. You never take it that seriously because it rarely happens. But you hear it all and you kind of just soak it in and then sometimes it gets realer as it gets closer, and I say it was here in just the last, we talked about it just three weeks ago, but I'd say in the last couple days we started realizing, trying to see a vision where we thought it made sense and thought it was the right thing to do and so we got a little bit more aggressive as it went and then John was able to finish it off."
Did you talk to assistant coach Bobby Turner about it, about Christian just to get his opinion of him?
"Yeah, I randomly ask guys, they don't really know why I'm asking. It's kind of casual. It's not like an awkward, go close the door and ask them, that'd be obvious. But it's, do you still like him? Because I know he did in college. What'd you think of when we played him a couple weeks ago? Just things like that. How do you compare him to people? And then today a lot of them came up to me and understood why I was asking things."
John said that getting someone during the season can be tricky, but you did it three years ago with former 49ers WR Emmanuel Sanders and you thought that he had helped you get where you wanted to go. Is this similar to that?
"Yeah, I mean it all depends on the player. I mean, Emmanuel came in and, like we hoped, like he looked on tape, I mean he was talented, but he was such a pro in terms of he picked things up fast. If you played in this league you start to, you can relate to almost everything wherever you go. You've got to figure out what people call it. Then you got to understand like, even though it might be the same play, we call it something different, do they view it a different way or do they coach in a different way? Those are things you've got figure out and Emmanuel was awesome, he figured it out in a week and then helped a lot of the other young guys figure it out better who'd been here for a while, and I think Christian will be very similar in that way."
John mentioned that you don't do this deal unless you have faith in your roster. I'm assuming that's to win the Super Bowl. Was there, even before Christian's name came up or even while, were you guys thinking maybe you're one piece away from being a Super Bowl favorite?
"No, I don't look at it at all that way. I think we've got enough players in our building and enough talent that we've got a chance, like I think a number of teams in this league do. I think when you have a chance and things come up, you'd always love to help that chance go up and when you've got a player like Christian, who I believe is a very good player, I think it gives us a much better chance to add him to a group of good players. It helps you overcome maybe some bad things that could happen as you go along that stretch, but I never really look at it as one player away. I think we're a team that has a chance to be real good, but we're not there yet. I think not just our record showing that, but we've got to play a lot better ball and bringing Christian here is definitely not the only thing we're missing. We've got play to our complete ability, which we're not there yet in all three phases. I think when we made this trade it's similarly, last time we were 6-0, I felt better about where we were at. We still had to get better, but I still think we have that type of team, that's got the talent and stuff like that, but we've got to improve as we go and if we do that and on top of if you add a better player, yeah it makes things, it gives you a much better chance. But I don't think this is something we would look into if we just thought it was just this year. I think Christian, with his contract and stuff, is going to be around here for a little bit and it's not just a one-year rental."
Your dad coached Christians' dad, now you're coaching Christian. What's the emotional viewpoint for you of this trade?
"Not much. I love his parents. I know [RB Christian McCaffrey's father] Ed and [Christian McCaffrey's mother] Lisa very well, knew them well growing up. I didn't know Christian very well. He was so much younger than me. I knew him and his brothers were a problem for my sister who used to babysit them a lot. But it's been cool just to hear about him back at home and stuff, talking to people from that area, always hearing about the McCaffrey boys, it was just one after another winning state championships for the football team and me never really realizing how good they were going to be but then watching Christian at Stanford and being like, wow, what everyone said was true and then watching him in the NFL. I mean, the first thing I told Christian was this was our plan all along. I think that's why we wanted to build a D-Line and build our defense right away and we knew we'd get him five and a half years later so that's why we shouldn't apologize for missing him then."
How close were you to taking him back then?
"Not very close. I mean, it was definitely something, it wasn't about him, it was just how we saw the time to build our team and we were pretty set with our vision of trying to do it defensively at that time."
You gave up a lot to get him and you're going to pay him a lot of money and you know, he's probably a middle age running back who has had some recent injury. He's in his sixth season, so do you view this as any sort of a gamble?
"Yeah, I view everything you do as a gamble. I view making trades as a gamble. I view not making trades as a gamble. All depends on if you can tell me what's going to happen in the future. I mean, if we would've got a guy as good as Christian with that second-round pick, third-round pick and fourth-round pick and fifth-round pick the following year, I'd say, man, what were we doing? But we're never going to know who we would've taken. For every really good pick, there's also not a good one. And what I do like doing is knowing that you're getting the right type of football player who's extremely talented, who is wired the right way. I talk about guys like [DL Nick] Bosa who I feel like have been training for this moment since they were three years old, and everything they've done, what they've put in their body, how they approach their life, was to get to these moments, and I see Christian similar to that and everything you do in this business is a gamble, but if you're going to gamble, I want to, first of all do it with talent and I want do it with character, and I mean football character. And I see that very strong with this guy."
John mentioned that in the locker room there was a little extra jolt when Christian walked into the locker room. Did you feel a little extra excitement or juice today on the practice field?
"Yeah, I mean it was cool. I mean, just all the guys hitting me up last night when they saw it. So, I know our team was real pumped about it. I know our defense, just having to go against him, they knew he was good on tape and then that was what I heard about from them the most after they played him, that he was much harder to tackle in person too. And then just how pumped the offensive guys were hitting me up last night. So, I think our team is excited about it, but I mean, like I told our team today that this isn't a this is all we need. We need the guys in our room to get as good as they can and to be hard on themselves every single day because we've got to win some games and if we do, I know we got a guy that's coming here who can really help us."
Your history with the McCaffrey family and I guess him being a known quantity, did that make him even more attractive to what you know he could do to the locker room and just on the field?
"Yeah, I think you know, it's always a gamble and stuff but you've definitely got to be sure about the talent but then you never know about the person and it's very hard to really know a person, so you've got to go with all that stuff, and just knowing his family, knowing a lot of people who've been around him a bunch, whether it's growing up, whether it's people who were with him at Stanford, people who I've coached with who were with him in Carolina, former players, there's not one person I talk to who doesn't say the same thing. And that's also the way that it just looks from afar just watching on your own. So, I think all that stuff helps you a lot when you're trying to make tough decisions."
Do you feel you're adding an element to the offense in terms of his skillset that wasn't there already or do you just see him adding another good player to a group of good players?
"I think we've got good running backs. I think we've got good receivers and I think we've got good blockers and I think Christian's pretty good at all three of those so, maybe he's got the best combination of them all. I think [WR] Deebo [Samuel] does that pretty good too. But I think we've got a lot of guys who can do a few different things and it's just when, the more guys you can get like that, the more you're not as dependent on injuries, the more that you don't have to force things to certain people and the more I feel like every single guy, whether it's a receiver, a tight end, a running back, a quarterback, you don't have to sit there and focus on targets, stats, there's a lot of good guys out there. Just play football, do your best and we'll see how it unfolds. Because I don't think there's one guy out there you got to force anything to. I think all of them have a chance to help us win."
How much farther does Hufanga have to go to get through concussion protocol?
"He's got to pass one other step tomorrow."
And where do you stand with CB Jason Verrett?
"Verrett won't be up this week. We've got to make a decision next week. He's still the same, easing him in."
The cliche is that the coach is the one saying get the guy, get the guy, I don't care what it costs. And the GM, maybe because he runs the draft, is a little more cautious. Was that sort of the way this was?
"No. I'm always really excited to go do things like that, but then as soon as I see it's a possibility, then you're going to hear from me every single thing that's wrong about it. That's just my process on things, so I always try to hit both sides with it and you try to hash it out, because it is exciting, it's real exciting, but just like Eric Branch let me know there's gambles in everything. I know how this league works and I'm not at all that way as a coach. I am at times, but I always try to balance it out and make sure when you end up doing it, it's not the thing that just excites you or excites fans. It's the thing that you believe in now and you believe in later and I know I feel that way."