SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Regardless of a string of accidents, lackluster performances and a 3-3 begin to the season, basic supervisor John Lynch nonetheless views his San Francisco 49ers as a Tremendous Bowl contender.

That perception gave Lynch the arrogance to take a raffle. He traded 4 draft picks to Carolina for star working again Christian McCaffrey in hopes of offering an analogous spark to the final time he made an enormous in-season commerce.

“You solely do that when you might have perception in your crew because it’s constructed,” Lynch mentioned Friday. “The earlier time we made an enormous splash like this was Emmanuel Sanders again in ’19 as a result of we felt like we had the crew able to competing for the entire deal. … We perceive we now have lots of work to do. We perceive this isn’t a magic capsule. It’s not going to repair all our ills as a crew, one participant. All of us need to get higher.”

The 49ers are relying on McCaffrey to do this after they traded their picks within the second, third and fourth rounds of the 2023 draft, in addition to a fifth-rounder in 2024 to Carolina.

They paid a heavy value to get McCaffrey but in addition managed to maintain him away from the division rival Rams, who had been the opposite crew within the combine.

“It’s undoubtedly a bonus,” coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned. “I believe all people would love the chance to have a participant like Christian. I believe everybody seems to be into it, nevertheless it’s additionally good to maintain participant away from the crew that we now have to compete with 12 months in and 12 months out.”

McCaffrey joins a proficient group of playmakers in San Francisco with versatile receiver Deebo Samuel, star tight finish George Kittle and receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

However the Niners weren’t as robust at working again with starter Elijah Mitchell out with a knee harm and ranked twentieth within the league in scoring at 20.3 factors per sport.

McCaffrey might get his first shot with the 49ers after they host Kansas Metropolis. He handed his bodily in time to get on the sphere for the tip of Friday’s observe and could have a crash-course on the brand new offense in hopes he can play a restricted position Sunday.

“I’ll depart that as much as (the coaches), nevertheless it’s simply my job to be taught as a lot as humanly attainable within the subsequent two days and prepare to play a soccer sport,” McCaffrey mentioned.

The 26-year-old McCaffrey offers Shanahan with the most effective as each a runner and receiver, including one other factor to San Francisco’s offense.

The Niners had been tied with the sixth fewest passes to working backs with simply 4.0 targets per sport however now can function on offense that has one of the crucial achieved receiving backs in McCaffrey and a receiver who’s a dynamic runner in Samuel.

“I don’t know if there’s anybody higher at placing guys in positions to have success, in tailoring to what they’re good at,” McCaffrey mentioned. “I’ve watched him do some unbelievable issues with some nice working backs and even the working backs within the room proper now. … You simply hear legends about how good of an offensive thoughts he’s. So to be right here is thrilling.”

The principle knock on McCaffrey has been his sturdiness of late. He missed 23 video games over the earlier two seasons as a consequence of accidents, however has performed in all six video games this season.

However the Niners had been assured sufficient in McCaffrey’s well being to make the deal.

“You’ll be able to by no means have full certainty on that,” Lynch mentioned. “That’s past our management. However you attempt to make the most effective determination you’ll be able to. He has performed lots of soccer this 12 months and he’s performed actually good soccer. He’s carried out that all through his profession.”

McCaffrey is fourth within the NFL in yards from scrimmage (607) regardless of enjoying for the league’s Thirty second-ranked offense. He and Cleveland working again Nick Chubb are the one gamers within the league to have 5 video games this 12 months with no less than 100 yards from scrimmage.

McCaffrey has 7,272 yards from scrimmage — 3,980 speeding and three,292 receiving — and has scored 50 touchdowns since coming into the league because the eighth total draft choose in 2017 after the Niners handed over him at No. 3 to take his former Stanford teammate Solomon Thomas.

McCaffrey has a $990,000 wage this 12 months after Carolina reworked his contract, making him a straightforward match beneath the wage cap. He’s owed about $36 million over the following three years, however none of that’s assured.

That leaves the 49ers with no picks within the 2023 draft till the tip of the third spherical when they may have two compensatory picks.

“I view all the things you do as a raffle,” Shanahan mentioned. “I view making trades as a raffle. I view not making trades as a raffle. All relies upon when you can inform me what’s going to occur sooner or later. … What I do like doing is realizing that you simply’re getting the precise kind of soccer participant who’s extraordinarily proficient, who’s wired the precise means.”

NOTES: Williams (ankle), DE Nick Bosa (groin) and S Jimmie Ward (hand) will return from accidents this week. … CB Charvarius Ward (groin) and S Talanoa Hufanga (concussion) are questionable. … DL Arik Armstead (foot, ankle) is out this week.

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