It took four picks for the 49ers to pry Christian McCaffrey from the Panthers. No strangers to exiting trade or free agency sweepstakes with wins, the Rams made a similar offer. It came down to a Day 3 pick for San Francisco’s proposal to win out.
The Rams offered the Panthers second- and third-round 2023 picks, along with fourth- and fifth-rounders in 2024, Albert Breer of SI.com reports. The defending Super Bowl champions also included Cam Akers in their proposal, Breer adds, but the Panthers went with the 49ers’ offer because it included a fourth-rounder in 2023 as opposed to 2024.
Last year’s Sony Michel trade stripped the Rams of their 2023 fourth-rounder; the team sent the Patriots fourth- and sixth-round picks for Michel. The Rams have their first-, second- and third-round picks in 2024, for now, but are not believed to have included any of those choices in their McCaffrey proposal. The value of the 2023 selections will come down to how the NFC West teams finish this season, but the Panthers still viewed the 49ers’ offer as more attractive.
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Los Angeles is still trying to move Akers, who could be a chip for the teams that missed out on McCaffrey. However, one of the teams involved in the sweepstakes moved on with a cheaper solution. The Broncos signed Marlon Mack on Monday morning, doing so in the wake of losing Mike Boone suffering an ankle injury against the Jets. Denver adding McCaffrey at this point, amid an October freefall, would have made less sense than the All-Pro back going to a 2022 contender.
Mentioned as a McCaffrey suitor, the Broncos joined the Eagles in making noncompetitive offers, Breer adds. Both teams are believed to have made offers involving third- or fourth-round picks to see if the Panthers were keen on taking a discount to move the high-priced running back. Considering what the Rams and 49ers proposed, the Broncos and Eagles’ efforts were nonstarters for the Panthers.
Midway through last season, the Eagles pivoted to a run-based attack around Jalen Hurts. The team has Miles Sanders atop its backfield depth chart, but the former second-round pick is in a contract year. Ditto Boston Scott. Kenneth Gainwell and Trey Sermon are each signed through 2024, though neither is obviously close to McCaffrey’s level. McCaffrey would have been an interesting piece for Philly, given his passing-game prowess. The Eagles’ offense has not involved much usage for backs through the air; Sanders leads Philly’s backs with 11 catches for 42 yards this season. And it does not sound like the Eagles, who have been in many trade derbies under Howie Roseman, were too interested here.
The first team to call the Panthers on McCaffrey, the 49ers put the trade prize to work quickly. McCaffrey received 10 touches Sunday against the Chiefs, despite not going through a full practice with his new team yet. Rather than add Akers as a CMC replacement, the Panthers turned to backups D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard in Week 7. The duo combined for a staggering 208 scrimmage yards against the Buccaneers on Sunday. Foreman is on an expiring contract; Hubbard’s rookie deal runs through 2024.