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The Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Rams could've had running back Christian McCaffrey, but the Carolina Panthers had other plans. Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer turned down offers from the Bills and Rams before accepting a deal from the San Francisco 49ers. Per Bills insider John Wawrow, the team reportedly offered a second-round pick to Carolina but weren’t prepared to budge further.
The 49ers gave up a second, third, and fourth-rounder in 2023 and a fifth-rounder in 2024 for the All-Pro running back. In the end, Buffalo wasn't the only team willing to pay the price for McCaffrey.
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Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Rams were deep into talks for McCaffrey before the Panthers agreed a deal with the 49ers. Instead, the Rams will now face the former Stanford Cardinal star in back-to-games.
Los Angeles defeated the Panthers 24 -10 back in Week 6 and will face the 49ers in Week 8 after the bye in Week 7. The question remains, which team outside of the 49ers would've benefited from having McCaffrey: the Rams or the Bills?
How the Bills or Rams would've benefited from the addition of Christian McCaffrey
For Buffalo, McCaffrey would be just another offensive weapon for a team that's in the top three in passing yards in the NFL. What's more, McCaffrey would be a major asset in their passing game. In his career thus far, the running back has nearly 3,300 yards receiving and 20 touchdowns. Having a receiver in the backfield would be the icing on the cake.
The Rams and McCaffrey would be a good fit and an upgrade over current running back Cam Akers. Akers is currently seeking a trade out of Los Angeles. Similar to Buffalo, McCaffrey would help Los Angeles' passing game. Outside of star wideout Cooper Kupp, the Rams offense has been average this season. Adding a guy like McCaffrey would have provided some relief to Kupp.
With both franchises likely scratching their heads at how quickly McCaffrey landed in San Francisco, there may be some regret going forward. For now, we'll see how the 49ers fares with his services. With his debut against the Rams imminent, it will be interesting to see how he gets on.
