The San Francisco 49ers and general manager John Lynch turned out to be the winners in the Christian McCaffrey sweepstakes. They got the best of the Los Angeles Rams to emerge as the recipient of the versatile running back.
#49ers GM John Lynch on competing w/ Rams for McCaffrey: "It seems like a lot of these situations end up as it's us against them in these things. I'm sure glad he's here and not there."
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) October 21, 2022
Lynch has had multiple battles with the Rams since taking over his current position in 2017. He was pleased to come out victorious in this particular battle. “It seems like a lot of these situations end up as it's us against them in these things,” Lynch said. “I'm sure glad he's here and not there.”
The 49ers acquired McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers, who appear to be in a “cleaning house” mode. The Panthers also traded wide receiver Robbie Anderson to the Arizona Cardinals before moving McCaffrey to the Niners.
The Panthers will receive multiple draft picks for McCaffrey, including second-, third- and fourth-round selections in 2023 and a fifth-round selection in 2024, according to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports.
McCaffrey will join wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, along with tight end George Kittle and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the San Francisco offense. McCaffrey has rushed 85 times for 393 yards and 2 touchdowns through the early part of the season. He is also an excellent receiver who has caught at least one pass in 57 consecutive games.
The Niners and the Rams were the two most interested teams in acquiring McCaffrey's services. There had been some speculation that the Buffalo Bills were also interested, but any interest the Bills had turned out to be minor.
John Lynch has seen the Niners get off to a 3-3 start. They have struggled with injuries on the defensive side of the ball, so adding strength and versatility on offense may give them a better opportunity to win the NFC West.
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