“Everything Is a Gamble”- Days After Signing Christian McCaffrey, GM John Lynch Makes a Worrying Statement
Ever since he made his NFL debut, it was clear that Christian McCaffrey was no ordinary running back. ‘CMC’ was selected as the eighth pick in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers after a few stand out years in Stanford. Ever since his debut, McCaffrey has been a shining light in the Panthers’ offense and combined well with Cam Newton during his time with the Panthers.
Not wasting time: Christian McCaffrey is already on the practice field for the #49ers: pic.twitter.com/xmVNnejMIj
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 21, 2022
However, over the past few years, Christian McCaffrey has had a number of injuries that have limited his playing time, also, the team has been in a steady decline and not fit for someone that has the talent Christian McCaffrey has. Therefore, it was only natural for him to want to move to another team. And after a few weeks of rumored interest from a number of teams, it was finally the San Fransisco 49ers who made the best offer to tempt the Panthers to part ways with their star man.
Is Christian McCaffrey the missing piece in the puzzle for the 49ers?
49ers general manager John Lynch was asked if taking a gamble on Christian McCaffrey was a risk given his injury record in the past few years. He said, “Everything is a gamble,” Lynch told reporters. “Hopefully, it’s a well-thought-out gamble, and you put a lot of thought into it. I know we have. I’d also say, I believe like a lot of really good players, he’s a lot more than just a running back. I think he’s a perfect player for the way Kyle [Shanahan] and our offensive staff does things. I think he brings a lot more than just running back skills.”
Your newest member of the #49ers, Christian McCaffrey ‼️pic.twitter.com/72NUrCjCOm
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) October 21, 2022
Lynch continued, “He’s (Christian McCaffrey) an incredibly accomplished receiver. He’s got tremendous feel. He can play with speed, he can play with power, he can play with quickness. He can do it all. And we’ve seen that firsthand playing against him. You’ve seen it right up to the last game he played. He’s an excellent football player. There’s no denying that and we like adding guys like that to the mix.”
Christian McCaffrey couldn't stop talking about how excited he is to be a 49er during his introductory press conference:
"Extremely fired up…Can't express how happy I am to be here." pic.twitter.com/fOfpzAXDSs
— KNBR (@KNBR) October 21, 2022
Injuries have been the biggest issue for the former Stanford star. He missed 23 of 33 games during the 2020 and 2021 seasons after being injury-free his first three NFL seasons. Both fans and the front office alike will be hoping that this is not the case in his upcoming tenure as a San Francisco 49er.