The versatile running back sees life in pink in San Francisco.
With 10 touchdowns and more than 1,100 total yards in those eleven games for the 49ers, Christian McCaffrey’s first year with his new franchise was a success.
However, the situation did not please him at first. During an appearance on the sidelines of charity conferences, the former All-Pro admitted he was furious that Panthers executives were trading him after claiming to want to keep him.
“Looking back, I honestly think it was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said, according to Mercury News.
A resentment mitigated by the prospect of evolving for one of the best franchises in the NFL.
“It’s a family”
If sportingly the exchange was a success for the running back, it is the same for his acclimatization. Christian McCaffrey arrives in a historic franchise for which his father Ed won a Super Bowl in 1994.
“I say it with the greatest respect, it is a family. It’s the first time I feel that. Getting to know these guys is something special and unparalleled, and there’s a reason it’s been going on for so long,” McCaffrey said. “I would just say that I am very proud to be part of this organization. »
A pleasure shared by his new coach, Kyle Shanahan. Because rather than pushing the technician to create new things, McCaffrey’s versatility is above all there to simplify his life.
“We can relax a bit. We don’t need to invent that much, ”said the 49ers head coach. “Everyone says to us: Ah you have it now. What else are you going to invent? But we don’t have to be so creative.”
“The defense cannot leave him as a man to man. This is where it gets interesting. That’s what I love about Christian.”
A successful exchange, especially since the player received his second Pro Bowl nomination.
