Rams’ McVay recalls NSFW reaction to 49ers’ CMC trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The 49ers walked away from the Carolina Panthers‘ negotiating table one star running back richer, but the Los Angeles Rams were involved in Christian McCaffrey sweepstakes until the end, too.
Los Angeles’ final trade offer for McCaffrey wasn’t enough, however, and when Rams coach Sean McVay heard whose offer was accepted, he had the exact reaction one would expect.
“You thought, ‘Oh, s–t. They’re getting another great player?’ ” McVay told reporters Monday of the moment he heard about the 49ers’ blockbuster trade.
“I think he’s a phenomenal player. Obviously we saw him recently. I’ve always had respect for his game and the versatility. I think that’s your first inclination.”
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported Monday that the Rams offered their second- and third-rounders in 2023, fourth- and fifth-rounders in 2024 and running back Cam Akers to Carolina in exchange for McCaffrey.
While San Francisco didn’t include any players in their package, they provided the Panthers with the same amount of picks as the Rams.
But the 49ers’ 2023 fourth-round pick included in their package was the difference-maker, per Breer, since Los Angeles’ fourth-rounder wouldn’t come until 2024 and the Panthers need picks now.
Losing out to their NFC West rival certainly must have stung for the Rams, who are used to coming out on top in trade negotiations recently — especially for a player like McCaffrey.
McVay envisioned right away what role the 26-year-old running back would have in 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense after the trade was announced.
“And then you have what a great job Kyle and his staff do of maximizing and utilizing versatile offensive weapons,” McVay said. “So that was my first reaction.”
The 49ers and Rams will face off this Sunday at SoFi Stadium in their second meeting of the season, providing Los Angeles with an almost immediate reminder of the player they missed out on.
“As a competitor, you say, ‘Hey, they’ve got him, we’ve got to be able to move forward accordingly,’ and it just so happens that they’re on the schedule this week,” McVay said “… We’ll get a chance to see a great player in addition to a bunch of other great players on Sunday.”
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San Francisco is looking to rebound from back-to-back losses, while the Rams will be fresh off their bye week.
And after a week of learning Shanahan’s playbook, the 49ers Faithful shouldn’t be surprised if McCaffrey makes a significant impact.