The San Francisco 49ers are in a weird spot. They seem to be trying for a mini-rebuild with their moves this offseason, but an analyst's proposed trade of star running back Christian McCaffrey is a bridge too far.
ESPN's Ryan Clark said that the Niners should trade the All-Pro as part of a full-scale rebuild for the team. One can understand this line of reasoning while also wholeheartedly disagreeing with it.
It was tough enough to see San Francisco move on from wide receiver Deebo Samuel and fullback Kyle Juszczyk, not to mention the departures of Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw in free agency. To see McCaffrey depart as well would just be sickening.
By Clark's logic, the 49ers should trade fan-favorite stars like Fred Warner, George Kittle, and Nick Bosa. If the team is going to tear down one or two pillars, why not demolish the whole thing?
The thing is, the Niners could still be a competitive team in 2025 despite all of the high-profile departures. Many fans may not believe that, but if San Francisco adds a few key free agents and drafts well, it could have a decent enough roster on paper to compete for the NFC West.
Getting rid of McCaffrey would make a 2025 rebound seem nearly impossible. We all saw how high-octane the team's offense can be with a fully healthy McCaffrey on the field. He was the AP's Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 for a reason.
It is fair that the Stanford product's injury history is troubling, and seeing him miss so much time last season was obviously less than ideal. However, the running back's father, Ed McCaffrey, has said that his son is feeling much better and should be fully healthy.
If the 49ers can get a healthy Christian McCaffrey back on the field in 2025, that could change everything. Even if it is unlikely it'll will reach the same offensive heights it did in 2023, San Francisco should still be vastly improved over last season.
Already, 49ers fans are beginning to lose hope for the team in 2025. To trade their star running back would be a dagger in the heart to the fanbase and would make many lose all hope in the team's chances.
San Francisco needs to keep McCaffrey if they want to have any chance of contending and making a playoff run in 2025 so let's hope the team does not heed Clark's advice.