Local kid heads West, Christian McCaffrey on the move in huge NFL trade
Oct 20, 2022, 9:35 PM | Updated: 9:45 pm
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
San Francisco 49ers general manager and former Denver Broncos safety John Lynch is making another Colorado connection in the Bay Area, trading for superstar running back Christian McCaffrey late Thursday night.
The deal was initially reported by ESPN, with NFL Network saying the Carolina Panthers get back a second-round pick in 2023, a third-rounder in 2023 and a fourth-round pick in 2023. Plus, a fifth-rounder in 2024.
McCaffrey, a graduate of Valor Christian in Denver’s south suburbs, is the son of former Broncos standout receiver and current UNC Bears head coach, Ed McCaffrey.
Since being selected at No. 8 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, the former Stanford Cardinal has had two 1,000-plus rushing yard seasons and a 1,000-plus yard receiving season. A special 2019 season saw McCaffrey lead the NFL with 2,392 yards from scrimmage.
McCaffrey will now make his NFL home in Santa Clara, miles from his college home in Palo Alto. He has dealt with injuries over the past few seasons, limiting him to just 16 games. But the Panthers are amid a firesale, trading off No. 1 receiver Robbie Anderson last week after firing Matt Rhule earlier in the fall.
McCaffrey joins a 3-3 49ers team led by backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Their three losses have been to not good teams, coming to Chicago, Atlanta and Denver.
The real impact on the Broncos here is how this may affect the NFL trade market ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline, as the team could deal veteran Melvin Gordon.
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