The San Francisco 49ers are in the middle of roster makeover that has seen the franchise part with nine starters already this offseason.
One player the team has chosen recently to invest in rather than divest from is running back Christian McCaffrey, whom San Francisco signed to a two-year extension worth $38 million in June 2024 that keeps the three-time All-Pro under contract through 2027.
However, McCaffrey will play next season at 29 years old after missing 13 games last year due to multiple injury concerns. He is the second-highest paid running back in the NFL, according to Over The Cap, and could potentially fetch the 49ers reasonable value in trade with the draft less than one month away.
As such, Aaliyan Mohammed of The Sporting News on Wednesday, March 26, authored a trade proposal in which San Francisco deals McCaffrey to the rival Dallas Cowboys for third-round picks in 2025 and 2026.
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“[The 49ers] are gearing up to pay Brock Purdy and may want to rebuild a young roster around him,” Mohammed wrote. “General manager John Lynch has already expressed his desire to get younger and shed some of their spending. Trading McCaffrey could help on both fronts.”
McCaffrey was the NFL’s rushing leader two seasons ago with 1,459 yards and could solve the Cowboys’ issues at the position, while also preserving Dallas’s first-round pick (No. 12 overall) to use elsewhere on a roster full of holes.
On San Francisco’s side, the team could get off three years of what is now somewhat risky salary after Achilles tendon and knee issues for the star running back last year.
Two third-round picks isn’t an enormous return. However, the Seattle Seahawks dealt two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders for just one third-round pick this offseason, and he isn’t coming off an injury-plagued year.
Related: San Francisco 49ers Investigating Brandon Aiyuk Trade Possibilities
