49ers GM 'took a swing' at McCaffrey to boost Super Bowl aspirations
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch traded for running back Christian McCaffrey on Thursday because he believes his team is in a Super Bowl-winning window.
"You only do this when you have a belief in your team as it's constructed," Lynch said Friday, according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner.
"We're 3-3 now, so we understand we have a lot of work to do," he added. "And this isn't a magic pill that's gonna fix all of our ills as a team. ... We do still very much believe in this team, and that's why we took a swing at an excellent football player."
McCaffrey arrived at the 49ers' facilities Friday and joined the team partway through practice. The former Carolina Panther isn't guaranteed to debut in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs, but he made his desire to be on the field known to Lynch.
The 49ers rank 18th in total offensive yards per game (340.2) and 20th in points per game (20.3). With the Chiefs averaging a league-best 29.8 points per game, McCaffrey's explosiveness in both the ground and passing game could help San Francisco keep up with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City offense.
Lynch is happy the running back will be on the team for the foreseeable future.
"It's not every day that you get a guy like Christian at the minimum (salary). And that's essentially where we got him," he said. "But he still has years on his contract after that. ... It's not just an 11-game - for lack (of) a better word - rental."
The GM compared the "big splash" to the team's acquisition of Emmanuel Sanders in 2019, a move that helped the 49ers record a 13-3 regular season and reach Super Bowl LIV, which it ultimately lost to the Chiefs.
Lynch is also glad McCaffrey won't be suiting up for the division rival Los Angeles Rams, who he said have "a propensity to come in late and go big." The Rams were the 49ers' final competition while negotiating with the Panthers.
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