Why the 49ers Could Regret Not Trading This Star Player Sooner

The San Francisco 49ers made a handful of moves this offseason that undeniably improved their team.

From signing Mike Evans to trading for Osa Odighizuwa. Their moves were for impact players at desperate positions. They added way more quality than they lost

It is what will make their 2026 campaign a strong one. However, I'd argue that there's one quality player they should've stomached to let go of this offseason.

The star player they should've parted with is...

The 49ers should've traded star running back Christian McCaffrey earlier this offseason. It's a move they should've done, but never would've in a million years.

They're too close to McCaffrey, which is the main drawback to them getting too interpersonal with their players. It makes it difficult to ever cut bait with them.

Now, you may be thinking it's a ludicrous idea to trade McCaffrey after the season he just had. The workload the 49ers placed on him played a role in making the playoffs.

The last thing they should be thinking of is sending a player, who gave it their all, to another team. It can be viewed as a foul move.

But that's exactly why this offseason was the perfect time to trade him. He just put on a ton of miles on his body. It's the biggest workload he's ever had in a single season.

McCaffrey is 30 years old now. That is the benchmark age for when running backs fall off a cliff. Maybe it won't happen in 2026, but he's closer to falling off the cliff than staying on it.

It's stealing Bill Belichick's ideology by trading a player a year too early rather than cutting them a year too late. Sure, it's probably a cold-hearted move, but this is the NFL.

The 49ers have to place the team first, not the player. And now, they run the risk of regretting not trading McCaffrey sooner.

I'd be shocked if he can still play at a high level after 2026. The odds are against him. In fact, he's prone to being a shell of himself this year.

Trading him this offseason before the NFL draft could've garnered no worse than a second-round pick, I'd imagine. That probably doesn't entice the 49ers, especially given the lack of talent in the draft.

Still, it's better to get something of value now than nothing at all. Plus, his value isn't going to get any higher moving forward. But it's clearly something the 49ers are fine with.

They think McCaffrey still has some quality years ahead of him. And if not, their close relationship with him will let them be okay with letting his contract expire for nothing than to trade him.

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