With the San Francisco 49ers eliminated from the playoffs, many Faithful may be turning their attention to one of the four remaining teams and choosing a horse in the race for Super Bowl LX.
Coincidentally, there is a horse-based team left in the playoffs, the Denver Broncos.
Many fans might be choosing them with the numerous former Niners on their roster, as they take on the New England Patriots on Sunday in the AFC Championship game.
Familiar faces like All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey and defensive tackle D.J. Jones all currently don the orange.
Over the years, however, several prominent 49ers have jumped ship to the Broncos.
Let’s take a look at a few of them.
WR Ed McCaffrey
Younger fans might wonder if former wide receiver Ed McCaffrey is related to San Francisco’s MVP-candidate running back Christian McCaffrey. The answer is yes.
Ed is Christian’s father, and the elder McCaffrey played 13 seasons in the NFL.
A former third-round pick by the New York Giants in 1991, the senior McCaffrey spent his first three seasons in NY.
He played for the 49ers for one season in 1994 and won Super Bowl XXIX with them. He joined the Broncos the next year and spent nine seasons in Denver.
During McCaffrey's tenure with the Broncos, he won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998. He was selected to the Pro Bowl once in 1998.
He also had three straight seasons of over 1,000 yards receiving from 1998 to 2000. So while Christian might be dominating headlines now with his receiving skills, Ed showed him the ropes.
LB Bill Romanowski
Linebacker Bill Romanowski was originally drafted by the 49ers in the third round of the 1988 NFL Draft.
Romanowski played his first six seasons with San Francisco, winning back-to-back Super Bowls with them in 1988 and 1989.
He would be traded to the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of the 1994 season and spend the next two seasons there.
After being released by the Eagles ahead of the 1996 season, Romanowski signed with Denver. He played for six seasons with the Broncos.
Romanowski went on to earn two Pro Bowl selections in 1996 and 1998, and he was a part of the Broncos’ back-to-back Super Bowl teams in 1997 and 1998.
TE Vernon Davis
Tight end Vernon Davis was a real fan-favorite during his time with the 49ers. He went from being a hot head to a team leader and featured player during the mid-aughts and early 2010s.
Davis was a first-round draft pick (sixth overall) of San Francisco in 2006. He spent his first 10 seasons with the 49ers, earning Pro Bowl selections in 2009 and 2013.
Davis starred in Super Bowl XLVII for San Francisco. He put up a stat line of six receptions for 104 yards receiving in a losing effort to the Baltimore Ravens.
He would get traded to Denver in the middle of the 2015 season. That year, Davis would win the Super Bowl with the Broncos in his one season with the team.
When it's all said and done, though, Davis might be better remembered for his new career in film, which seems to be going well.