He would only play in 10 games over the course of the next two years due to injuries, but Shanahan was unfazed and traded four draft selections for him in 2022 to finally acquire the running back he had so much admired.

Naturally, the 49ers selected defensive end Solomon Thomas, McCaffrey’s college teammate, at No. 3 in the 2017 draft. Thomas’s fifth-year option was rejected because he did not live up to the expectations of those who saw him during the draft. Unfortunately, two games into his contract year, Thomas would tear his ACL. He has played for the Jets, his current team, and the Raiders after leaving San Francisco in free agency.

Here are a few other rumors from around the NFC West:

•     Quarterback for the Seahawks, Geno Smith, is playing this season under a brand-new deal that, when it was first reported, included incentives worth up to $30 million. Brady Henderson of ESPN says that doesn’t quite seem to be the case. The alleged “incentives” have now been exposed as escalators, which are linked to non-guaranteed bonuses in contrast to incentives. Smith would receive $30MM, for instance, from an incentive if he met specific statistical thresholds. Actually, in order to increase his $9.6MM roster bonus to $24.6MM with the escalator, Smith would have to meet those requirements and remain a member of the team by the fifth day of the next league season.   There are a number of statistical benchmarks that Smith is not on track to reach (4,282 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, 69.755 percent completion rate, 100.874 passer rating), but he could still cash in on team benchmarks such as a playoff berth or a 10-win season.
• According to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports, when 49ers general manager John Lynch and Shanahan signed a multi-year contract extension back in September, the team executive also received a new title. Lynch will now hold the additional title of president of football operations in addition to his position as general manager.