Christian McCaffrey Trade 'Not Just a One-Year Rental,' 49ers' Kyle Shanahan Says

The San Francisco 49ers aren't planning for running back Christian McCaffrey to be a "one-year rental" after trading for the Carolina Panthers star Thursday.

"I don't think this is something we would look into if we thought it was just for this year," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Friday. "I think Christian with his contract is gonna be around here a little bit. It's not just a one-year rental."

The 49ers sent multiple draft picks to Carolina for McCaffrey:

McCaffrey is under contract for three more years, but the 49ers could release him next offseason without paying any dead-cap money.

However, Shanahan's comments and the 49ers' decision to deal four draft picks for the running back indicate a longer-term plan for the ex-Stanford star in the Bay Area.

McCaffrey is playing in his sixth NFL season. He was one of the league's top superstars in 2018 and 2019 with 4,357 scrimmage yards and 32 touchdowns. His 2,392 yards and 19 touchdowns led the NFL in 2019.

Injuries held him to 10 games over the next two seasons. He's been healthy this year, though, and has averaged over 100 yards per game (670 total yards in six games).

But the Panthers have struggled to an NFL-worst 1-5 record. The offense ranks No. 27 in points scored, and the defense sits at No. 22. Carolina fired head coach Matt Rhule after a 37-15 home loss to the 49ers on Oct. 9. The team traded wide receiver Robbie Anderson to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday, and now McCaffrey is out of town as well.

As Carolina looks toward the future, the 49ers are focused on the present in hopes of making another Super Bowl run. The path to the NFC West title is clear given that no team (including the 3-3 49ers) sits above .500.

Adding a player like McCaffrey boosts the offense and puts the 49ers in contention for their third NFC Championship Game appearance in four years.

If the team plans on keeping him around into the mid-2020s, though, then some salary-cap maneuvering will have to go down. General manager John Lynch spoke on that topic Friday:

Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap noted the team could redo his deal, a four-year, $64 million contract extension through 2025:

"The only remaining guarantee on the contract is a $1 million injury guarantee for 2023 which is basically meaningless since the CBA offers him more injury protection if hurt. His salary next year is $12 million. Given the price they gave up I would expect the team to strongly try to redo that deal and bring that salary down by a few million so they can keep him."

The cap hits amount to $12 million a season from 2023 to 2025.

McCaffrey will look to make his 49ers debut Sunday at home against the Kansas City Chiefs.