It seemed so unfair. At least, that's what Rich Eisen thought when he heard rumors swirling that the San Francisco 49ers were looking to trade for star running back Christian McCaffrey. It just wasn't fair ... for the rest of the NFL.
Like so many, Eisen has a great deal of respect for head coach Kyle Shanahan's system and the already-talented roster he and general manager John Lynch have built over the years.
McCaffrey joined the Rich Eisen Show on Friday, and the two reflected on the trade that sent him from the Carolina Panthers to Shanahan's 49ers, a situation Eisen called "a perfect fit."
"I'm definitely excited," McCaffrey told Eisen. "Like you said, it's a great fit for me. It's a great fit for, really, any skill player. It's a great fit for O-linemen, too. I mean, the scheme is so fun. It's sustainable. It's worked forever. And I am going to say you still have to execute it, but it's a lot of fun being able to be surrounded by guys like [TE] George Kittle and [WRs] Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk and [OT] Trent Williams, [WR] Jauan Jennings.
"There's a great backfield. Elijah Mitchell, who's a great back, Jordan Mason, Ty-Davis Price, all these guys. [FB] Kyle Juszczyk, who's one of the best guys I've been around. All these guys, man, and then add that defense on top of it.
"And then add the staff that we have. It's exciting. It really is exciting. And I feel like as a football nerd, and as a fan of the game, I have fun going into work every day just learning so much."
This year should be much better for McCaffrey compared to 2022. He joined the 49ers in October, ahead of the trade deadline, and didn't have much time to familiarize himself with the playbook. About 48 hours after arriving in Santa Clara, he was lining up in the backfield against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Getting up to speed probably felt like a whirlwind with all the information being thrown at him.
"And it is nice being able to have an offseason under my belt where I can get comfortable with the details and the things beyond the X's and O's that I'm not learning game plan to game plan," McCaffrey said. "So I'm definitely excited to be here, be surrounded by all these guys."
Is Christian McCaffrey the most valuable member of the 49ers offense?
By Rohan Chakravarthi
May 26
The San Francisco 49ers saw significant success in 2023, despite a slow start to the season and multiple midseason quarterback changes due to injury, forcing seventh-round rookie Brock Purdy into action.
A crucial part of that formula? Christian McCaffrey, who instantly elevated the 49ers' offense upon his arrival via trade at the midseason mark.
McCaffrey changed the outlook of the offense, creating a more efficient offense on the ground, but more importantly, changing the dynamics of the 49ers' passing attack with his presence out of the backfield.
Additionally, McCaffrey made the pace of the game easier for both veteran Jimmy Garoppolo and rookie Brock Purdy, as the 49ers' offense averaged over 30 points per game since the running back was fully
How Christian McCaffrey responded to a question about the 49ers' QB uncertainty
By David Bonilla
May 26
A healthy Brock Purdy undoubtedly sits atop the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback depth chart. However, he's not healthy. While he is expected to begin throwing again next week, he likely remains months away from being medically cleared to play in a game.
In the meantime, Trey Lance, the No. 3 overall pick in 2021, is competing with another former No. 3 overall pick, Sam Darnold, for the QB2 job. One of the two players could start Week 1 of the 2023 season if Purdy isn't ready by then.
Of the quarterbacks on the roster, running back Christian McCaffrey has only played with Purdy and Darnold. Lance suffered his season-ending ankle injury before McCaffrey's arrival. McCaffrey and Darnold were teammates in Carolina.
The running back joined the Rich
Christian McCaffrey calls Kyle Shanahan's 49ers scheme the "most sustainable" in the NFL
By David Bonilla
May 29
You've heard stories about San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan installing a play and breaking down exactly how he expects the defense to react. Then, when the players execute the play, everything occurs as the coach explained, as if he had a crystal ball to predict the outcome.
Shanahan is a confident play-caller, emphasizing execution by his players to ensure everything goes as planned. The 49ers acquired a big-time playmaker last season, trading for star running back Christian McCaffrey, who had already established himself as one of the most versatile players in the league.
Even McCaffrey marvels at the things his play-caller comes up
SI makes 49ers predictions involving the Super Bowl, Christian McCaffrey, Talanoa Hufanga
By David Bonilla
May 31
Conor Orr continues his annual tradition of making 100 bold predictions for the upcoming season. That's a lot of predictions to sift through. Luckily for you, I've pulled out the San Francisco 49ers-related ones for this article. That doesn't mean the others aren't worth your time, though. So head over to the Sports Illustrated feature to peruse the remaining 96.
For now, here are Orr's 49ers-related predictions.
49ers-Bengals Super Bowl clash
The good news is that Orr predicts the 49ers to be among the Super Bowl participants in February. The bad news is that he has the Cincinnati Bengals handing San Francisco its third
