SANTA CLARA — Christian McCaffrey is perhaps the most valuable player in the league and on the 49ers' roster, but San Francisco's CEO and owner will have to wait until a trade to acquire the dynamic running back is finalized midway through the 2022 NFL season. Jed York had some concerns. Coach Kyle Shanahan's hesitation.
York remembers having to work with John Lynch to convince the Shanahan family why it was the right move.
“He thought it was a lot to give up for a running back,” York said with a smile. “And I think John and I thought it was just the right amount to give up for Christian.”
York and Lynch did enough to trade Shanahan for 2023 second-, third-, and fourth-round draft picks and a 2024 fifth-round draft pick for the All-Pro running back. That required some persuasion.
“I remember that vividly,” York said. “There it's like, 'Look, he's not a pass rusher, he's not a quarterback, but look, he's a good player, do we really need to give up that much?' Do you want me to go to Los Angeles? This is where we belong.'' ”
To date, this was one of the most impactful trades brokered by the 49ers, with McCaffrey becoming a key player in the club's stacked offense. The “running back” was very effective not only on the ground, but also as a receiver.
The All-Pro gained 1,210 yards from scrimmage in 11 games with the 49ers in the 2022 NFL season, followed by a dominant 2023 season with 2,023 yards in 16 games. York knew from the beginning that McCaffrey was exactly the person the club needed at the right time.
“As someone who plays a little bit of poker, I don’t go all in with six and take off my suit,” York said. “When you have a pair of jacks, aces, and kings, you might not win the hand, but that's when you want to push your chips into the middle.”
That's exactly what the 49ers did, and it paid off in the form of two consecutive trips to the NFC Championship Game and now a trip to Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII.
While York and Lynch acquired players, the CEO understood Shanahan's perspective and understood his concerns and why he was concerned about the overall success of the organization.
“When we draft, when we do things in free agency, it's generally on the defensive side of the ball,” York explained. “We don't typically draft offensive players super high. We don't do a ton of free agency for offensive players.”
“He knows he's going to spend more time on offense, so he's rather focused on defense. I think we just made sure he was comfortable knowing that it could work.” But it's a gamble we're willing to take.” ”
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