How the 49ers beat out the Rams for RB Christian McCaffrey

The San Francisco 49ers sent shockwaves through the NFL two weeks ago, trading for star running back Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a multitude of mid-round selections.

In doing so, the 49ers reportedly beat out the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Rams for McCaffrey’s services, and an NFL insider shared some insight into how that occurred on Wednesday.

MMQB’s Albert Breer went on the Rich Eisen Show, where he was asked about the Rams’ recent pursuit of several stars to add to their current roster.

Breer delved into the McCaffrey sweepstakes, illustrating how close the Rams were to ultimately getting the star running back with a similar package to the 49ers.

“[The Rams] made a very spirited run at Christian McCaffrey. The 49ers wind up getting him for a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-round pick in 2023 and a 5th-round pick in 2024. The Rams offer was really close to that. It was a 2nd and [3rd-round pick] in 2023 [and] a 4th and 5th-round pick in 2024 and Cam Akers. The Panthers decided they wanted the [4th-round pick] in 2023 and wound up being the tiebreaker. But, [the Rams] made a very, very real offer to the Panthers to try to get Christian McCaffrey out of there.”

The Rams didn’t have their fourth or fifth-round selection in 2023 as they gave up the former pick for Sony Michel last season, while trading away the latter pick for Troy Hill in the offseason.

Similarly to the 49ers, the Rams also didn’t have their first-round selection in 2023, which could’ve been a potential tiebreaker, as that pick was involved in the Matthew Stafford trade prior to last season.

The 49ers immediately reaped the benefits of the move for McCaffrey, as the 26-year-old running back played an integral role in their 31-14 victory over the Rams in Week 8, placing them firmly in the playoff picture as they head into their bye week.

Earlier this week, the Rams were reportedly involved in discussions for the Panthers’ young edge rusher Brian Burns, offering more than two first-round picks, according to Breer, but the two sides did not come to an agreement on a trade.

The 49ers were relatively busy themselves at the deadline, moving backup running back Jeff Wilson Jr. to the Miami Dolphins for a 2023 fifth-round selection.