The struggles that Christian McCaffrey has had in recent seasons has led to questions surrounding his own availability for the 2025 season, and how much longer he has left to play in the NFL in general.
This leaves the San Francisco 49ers in a spot where they must make a decision when it comes to the future of McCaffrey on the team. As the 49ers look to get younger as a roster, and will need to make more financially smart decisions going forward after extending Brock Purdy, trading Christian McCaffrey becomes a way they can do so.
There is one team that could end up being an ideal spot for Christian McCaffrey to be traded to, and that team is the Denver Broncos.
*THIS IS A PREDICTION, NOT A REPORT
San Francisco 49ers Trade Christian McCaffrey to the Denver Broncos
For the San Francisco 49ers they are starting to structure their team for the future, and how they can do so is by trading McCaffrey as he still has value in the league to get a return that can help the 49ers continue to build for the future.
While McCaffrey is far past his prime, especially coming off a season in which he was injury-riddled, resulting in him putting up just 202 yards and no touchdowns in the four games he played in. The hope would be that he can return to his 2023 form where he rushed for 1,727 yards and 18 touchdowns.
If Christian McCaffrey can return to that form, then teams can bank on that for him to still have trade value. For the Denver Broncos, that type of hope should be enough for them to take interest in trading for him.
Christian McCaffrey has rushed for 6,909 yards and 58 touchdowns over his eight seasons in the NFL, while also hauling in 4,787 yards and 32 touchdowns as a receiver. The Broncos need that type of running back factored into the ground game if they want to truly take the offense to the next level for 2025.
The development of Bo Nix is crucial, and with having a running back room featuring Audric Estime, Jaleel McLaughlin, and RJ Harvey, they need more playmakers at the position. By adding McCaffrey, the Broncos get a reliable player to help out their backfield while also being able to provide off-field mentorship to the room that needs help in that department.
Sean Payton’s offense thrived in New Orleans with a dual-threat running back with Alvin Kamara, by adding Christian McCaffrey who has a similar skill set, the offense can perform at its best in Denver as well.
McCaffrey is going to be 29 by the start of the season as well, meaning he has to put himself in the best position to win a Super Bowl on a true contender, which the Broncos are. By doing so, and for his hometown state, it would help provide a full circle ending to his career before he gets set to retire within the coming seasons.
