It’s not a great time to be a San Francisco 49ers fan.
Just one year removed from coming a hair’s breath from winning the Super Bowl, the start of NFL free agency was the equivalent of a slap in the face during a blissful, mid-afternoon nap … followed by a large bucket of ice cold water poured on your head.
“Since the start of the legal tampering period on Monday, a slew of players including stars and franchise stalwarts have bid farewell to the Niners,” Sports Illustrated’s Tyler Lauletta wrote on March 14. “Wide receiver Deebo Samuel was traded to the Commanders. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk, named to nine straight Pro Bowls, was released. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw left for Denver, as did safety Talanoa Hufanga. Cornerback Charvarius Ward is now a Colt … the 49ers have also missed out on big opportunities to reload, most notably losing out on the Joey Bosa sweepstakes to the Buffalo Bills despite having his brother Nick on the team.”
At this point, outside of quarterback Brock Purdy, it’s safe to assume no one on the roster is safe.
For the Denver Broncos, that could present a unique opportunity to become a Super Bowl contender in 2025 with one simple move — making a trade for NFL All-Pro running back and 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey.
“”I would absolutely trade Christian McCaffrey and I would try to get as much as I could possibly get for him,” ESPN’s Ryan Clark said on March 12. “You had Christian McCaffrey and you took your run at the Super Bowl and didn’t get it … If you’re going to rebuild, rebuild completely.”
49ers On Wrong Side of History to Kick off Free Agency
“Through four days of free agency, other teams have spent $321 million on 49ers free agents, the most on a team’s departing free agents in NFL history,” CBS Sports’ Douglas Clawson wrote on March 14. “San Francisco has also only doled out $37 million through four days of free agency. That adds up to the worst free agent spending deficit ($284 million) in NFL history, by over $80 million!”
The 49ers are likely trying to shed salary to put together a package for Purdy, who is due for a massive contract extension. Spotrac has the 25-year-old projected to sign a 4-year, $238.9 million contract extension that would pay him $59.7 million per year.
Projecting What McCaffrey Might Cost Broncos
We have an idea of what McCaffrey might cost in terms of a trade after the Carolina Panthers sent McCaffrey to the 49ers in exchange for 4 draft picks in October 2022 in exchange for their 2023 second, third, fourth and fifth round picks.
The Broncos could reasonably give up their 2025 first, third and fifth round picks in exchange for McCaffrey, which would be worth it if he’s healed from injuries that limited him to just 4 games in 2024.
The bigger commitment would be in terms of salary, where McCaffrey still has $46.2 million left on a contract that runs through the 2027 season and will bring his career earnings to a staggering $127.4 million.
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