ESPN Insider Ryan Clark believes a Christian McCaffrey trade should happen if the 49ers are committing to a rebuild. According to the source, the 49ers are no stranger to rebuilding an entire offense which they are doing already and Clark thinks that “If you are going to rebuild, you should rebuild all the way.” The team has already been taking those steps this offseason after trading wide receiver Deebo Samuel and rumors are floating that Brandon Aiyuk may be next. This means a McCaffrey trade could be a possibility since general manager John Lynch said it himself that they’re listening to all trade requests this offseason and if that’s the case, they should ship the future Hall of Famer to focus on the future.
Originally selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, the former Stanford product had his chance to take this team to the Super Bowl last year. McCaffrey came to San Francisco in a trade in 2022 after becoming one of the only athletes to record 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards. Indeed, he already had his championship opportunity since leading the league in scrimmage yards and touchdowns en route to the Super Bowl in 2024. With that, it’s fair to say the team should trade the three-time All-Pro while he’s recovering from an injury suffered last season.
ESPN Insider Believes Christian McCaffrey Trade Could Happen Soon – 5 Teams Who Could Pursue Him
Possible Destinations
Los Angeles Chargers
After giving J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards a one-year opportunity, the team moving on with Najee Harris is an indicator of what head coach Jim Harbaugh is looking for in a running back. He loves a physical hard-nose run game and Harris a perfect representation of that. However, they should maximize quarterback Justin Herbert’s prime window while he’s still young and a man like McCaffrey could give this team’s run game a burst that they need. McCaffrey could be the missing ingredient in their run game that could finally move the chains in Harbaugh’s philosophy.
Dallas Cowboys
It’s hard to envision what the Dallas Cowboys will do beyond the 2025 season but it seems like they are rebuilding once again. The team signing Javonte Williams on a one-year deal likely means they aren’t bringing back Rico Dowdle. The Cowboys are taking the cheap route for another offseason but since after extending Dak Prescott, they should re-think differently. Prescott isn’t getting younger and he needs a mainstay running back to help him like they had a prime Ezekiel Elliott in his rookie year.
Washington Commanders
The Commanders made some flashy signings last offseason to build a new team for quarterback Jayden Daniels. Now, they have their guy and this is their chance to maximize their championship window. While running back Brian Robinson Jr. has his moments, they could use a veteran like McCaffrey to take over duties and push the Commanders for a Super Bowl since Daniels entered his second year in the league.
Kansas City Chiefs
As expected, the Chiefs signed a new running back Elijah Mitchell to give backup for Isiah Pacheco after missing the majority of the 2024 campaign. This means Kareem Hunt probably won’t return and they will wait to see if it’s worth extending Pacheco after this upcoming season. If Pacheco does not work out, they could sign McCaffrey if he becomes available since the 49ers probably won’t trade their best player to the Chiefs.
Pittsburgh Steelers
With Najee Harris leaving, this puts Jaylen Warren as the starter this upcoming season. However, since the team did trade for DK Metcalf, the Steelers could be in “win now” mode. If that’s the case, they could test their luck and request from the 49ers if McCaffrey is available for a trade how they did with Brandon Aiyuk already.
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