Ram Digest

Are Rams Responsible For 49ers Christian McCaffrey Trade?

According to San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York, the Los Angeles Rams' interest in Christian McCaffrey was a major reason for their decision to trade for the star running back.

Matt Galatzan

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In October of 2022, the San Francisco 49ers made arguably the biggest NFL trade in recent memory, sending a second, a third, and a fourth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for superstar running back Christian McCaffrey.

Suffice it to say, in his first full season with the team, the trade has been a tremendous success, with McCaffrey finishing the 2023 regular season as the NFL Offensive Player of the Year, the league rushing leader, making a Pro Bowl, and earning a first-team All-Pro nod.

He was also a driving force behind his team winning both a division and a conference title and has his team on the doorstep of a Super Bowl.

Ironically, according to team CEO Jed York, the 49ers' rival Los Angeles Rams seem to be at least in part responsible for McCaffrey ending up in San Francisco.

mccaffrey 1
© Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY

"I think (49ers GM John Lynch) and I thought it was just the right amount to give up for Christian," York said during Super Bowl Week interviews. "And I remember that very vividly where it's like, 'Look, it's not a pass rusher, it's not a quarterback, but it's a good player. But do we want to give up that much?'' And collectively it was, 'Do you want him to go to L.A.? This is where we are.'"

The Rams, of course, were heavy players in the McCaffrey sweepstakes.

Would the 49ers have made the move for McCaffrey regardless of whether or not the Rams were interested in trading for him? Almost certainly yes. 

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The team already felt like McCaffrey was the missing piece to their Super Bowl quest, and just about every team in the NFL that had a chance threw their hat into the ring for the explosive playmaker.

Nevertheless, York's reveal of the trade process will now leave a little extra sting for Rams fans, knowing that their team's chase of McCaffrey could have been the tipping point to the 49ers landing the league's best offensive player.

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com

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