The San Francisco 49ers trade for Christian McCaffrey is clearly a desperation move to save the jobs of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. Late on Thursday night, the San Francisco 49ers made a major trade to shake up the NFL landscape, when they sent a small boatload of draft picks to the Carolina Panthers for Christian McCaffrey.
The sixth-year player has battled injuries in the last few years of his career but has stayed healthy this year. McCaffrey might be one of the most complete players in the NFL. As a running back, he’s one of the most talented runners in the league, and he’s an exceptional receiver, even by receiver standards.
His slot receiver capabilities are noticeable, as he does have a 1,000-yard receiving season under his belt. He is nothing more than a perfect fit in the Bay Area with Kyle Shanahan. After cycling through and getting production from about 591 running backs, the Niners appear to have their main man.
It’s a good trade with a team that has Super Bowl hopes. Jimmy Garoppolo should thrive having someone like McCaffrey along with George Kittle of Deebo Samuel. However, looking at the big picture, it’s clear to see how much of a desperation move this is for Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch.
Both Shanahan and Lynch were brought in to begin the 2017 season. Shanahan has been regarded as one of the best offensive minds in football, and Lynch appears to be a widely respected General Manager.
Through a little over five seasons, though, the results have not been what many have hoped. Kyle Shanahan, in the regular season, has a 42-45 career record. Through five full seasons, he has had three losing seasons. He is 4-2 in the playoffs, but his 46-47 career coaching record is nothing short of mediocre.
Secondly, his teams have been unusually injured for years. The 49ers are constantly in the news with players suffering injuries. Trent Williams, George Kittle, Jimmy Garoppolo, and many other 49ers have missed significant time with injuries.
It seems as though whatever Shanahan might be doing in terms of practice and offseason activities is too much perhaps because his teams always seem to have noticeable injuries. He’s 3-3 to begin year six, and yet again, his team is quite a bit injured.
What can Shanahan and Lynch hand their hats on after five full seasons? They don’t have a clear future at quarterback and now, after the trade for CMC, don’t have a ton of draft capital. They’re also projected to have just under $6 million in cap space for 2023.
There really isn’t anything to indicate that the 49ers are set up to be a contending team for the future. I personally believe that trading for Christian McCaffrey is nothing more than a desperation move for the team.
Would they seriously bring both Shanahan and Lynch back for year seven if the 49ers have themselves another losing record, or get bounced out of the playoffs again? Something isn’t working in San Francisco, and this move is a giant signal of that.