The San Francisco 49ers received one of the best running backs of this generation in Christian McCaffrey, which made the trade from the Carolina Panthers a steal.
Part of the reason for the trade is that McCaffrey’s contract may be the most valuable non-rookie deal in the NFL for this season. It won’t be too awful in subsequent seasons either. Stated differently: This season, the 49ers’ cap hit for McCaffrey is lower than the Buffalo Bills’ for Nyheim Hines.
MVP candidate McCaffrey only has a $3.424 million cap hit. According to Spotrac, that cap hit is ranked 18th among running backs for the 2023 season, just below Hines and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Not bad for a guy who topped the NFL in scrimmage yards (2,023) and total touchdowns (21).
With backup quarterback Sam Darnold rated 14th on his own club and a contract that carries a cap hit, how did the 49ers get a seasoned MVP candidate? In part, it’s because of the NFL’s salary cap regulations, which made it possible for a beneficial reorganization without jeopardizing the team’s future.
Deal with Christian McCaffrey is excellent for the 49ers
Two years after McCaffrey inked a four-year, $64 million contract with the Carolina Panthers, the 49ers acquired him through trade last season. There was a $21.5 million signing bonus included in that Panthers deal. The remaining signing bonus accelerates into the team’s cap when a player is cut or traded, so the Panthers had to factor it into the deal. This season, McCaffrey’s dead cap cost for Carolina was $18.35 million, over five times higher than San Francisco’s cap hit for the standout running back.
While McCaffrey had a $21,776,250 overall cap hit this season, 84.3% of that cap hit was placed on a team for which he was not even on the roster.
Because of this, the 49ers were able to rebuild their roster with McCaffrey in a pretty standard manner without having to raise their wage cap in subsequent years.
By converting $10.72 million of his base salary for 2023 into a signing bonus, McCaffrey extended the contract’s expiration date by two years. An NFL contract’s signing bonus is distributed throughout the course of the agreement. The 49ers now have $8.576 million in cap space, per NBC Sports Bay Area.
According to NBC Sports Bay Area, 49ers general manager John Lynch stated in April of last year, “It just gives us some room.” When it came time to sign our youngsters, we were under extreme pressure.
It made logical, and we wanted to have some flexibility. Christian will be present. It was a straightforward conversion, and we are grateful that Christian consented to it. Well done, sir. Fortunately for us.
Overall, the 49ers got a great deal for this season, but McCaffrey’s cap hits increase to more than $14 million each of the next two years, and there will be a little over $6 million in dead cap hits to worry about when the void years hit. For one of the best non-quarterbacks in football, a $14 million cap hit makes sense. McCaffrey will make $11.8 million in base pay in 2024 and $12 million in 2025.
Some better 49ers and Chiefs transactions
One of the many reasons the 49ers are heading to the Super Bowl is McCaffrey’s modest cap hit. You can’t pay every employee like a superstar when there is a salary cap. After paying your stars, you must sign some value contracts with players on the roster. For this reason, rookies—especially quarterbacks—are extremely important.
A value contract for a star like McCaffrey is a blessing. In order to avoid including Brock Purdy and his $889,252 cap cost, these are the top four non-rookie contracts now held by the 49ers and Chiefs, the teams who will face each other in Super Bowl LVIII:
• Dre Greenlaw, a linebacker for the 49ers; $16.4 million, two years: After signing his rookie contract, Greenlaw was still unproven when he was signed by the 49ers. With 247 tackles in two seasons after becoming a full-time starter, he has been outstanding during the first two years of his contract.
• Drue Tranquill, a linebacker with the Chiefs; $3 million, one year: For Steve Spagnuolo, the innovative defensive coordinator, Tranquill is the kind of versatile defender who can do it all. In 16 games, he started eight of them.
49ers security Tashaun Gipson Sr.; $2.9 million, one year: Gipson was the ideal addition of experience. The 49ers obtained him at a low cost since he doesn’t command large money or long-term commitments. Gipson, who was 33 years old, was rated as the 24th best safety by Pro Football Focus after making 16 starts. That has a lot of value.
• Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes; $450 million over ten years: It’s a big sum of money, yes. However, it still lags behind other elite quarterbacks, and Mahomes’ contract will hold up well over time. In order to increase the team’s flexibility going forward, Mahomes had the option to hold out for more money, but he chose not to. While accepting $450 million isn’t exactly altruistic, it’s debatable whether Mahomes is worth significantly more than he is compensated each season. There may.
After a full season of play, the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are back in the Super Bowl. Let’s begin Four Verts by taking the high road in regards to Brock Purdy’s “game manager” yelling match before remembering a devastating playoff loss for America’s darling, caused by Purdy and his Niners.
For now, the Purdy arguments are moot. With him, the 49ers can definitely win.
Both positive and negative feedback on Brock Purdy have been offered as the controversy around his skill level continues to splinter the internet, families, and cherished friendships. I am here to inform you that, at this point in the Purdy debate, it is preferable to be completely apathetic. Whether he is the world’s best or worse quarterback is irrelevant. The 49ers’ ability to win the Super Bowl with Purdy at quarterback, thanks in part to him and in part to the supporting cast, is all that matters.
During the 49ers’ current postseason run, Purdy hasn’t played his best football. Despite his carelessness with the ball, several near-turnovers, and revelations about his passing limitations, the 49ers manage to win.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan keeps the bunch in favorable circumstances, while Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, and Deebo Samuel continue to prove why they are the NFL’s best supporting cast. Purdy has mostly served as the team’s quarterback this postseason, but sometimes a squad this gifted and prepared needs the quarterback to just ride along.
Purdy has occasionally stepped up and given the 49ers a spark when they needed it. During the game-winning drive in the NFC Divisional Round against the Green Bay Packers, he performed admirably. In the NFC championship game, he produced a few key plays that sealed the Niners’ Super Bowl ticket. To bring the 49ers back to the Super Bowl for the second time under Shanahan, he has done just enough to make up for his past faults. He can undoubtedly start at center for them against the Chiefs.
Before the 49ers have to seriously consider what they will pay Purdy to be their quarterback in the long run, there is still one more season still to play. For the time being, let’s just accept that San Francisco can weather some of the rookie quarterback errors that come with having a second-year starter on the roster because this 49ers squad is just that good.
That is the 49ers season’s true narrative. Not an obsessive discussion on Purdy and his skills. This team is so good that it can overcome some of the greatest teams in the NFL to go to the Super Bowl while maintaining equilibrium with the growth of a rookie quarterback. All other matters are moot until Purdy and the 49ers begin to negotiate.
Although he received a lot of backlash for his aggressive play in the NFC championship game, Campbell shouldn’t alter his on-field demeanor. In the end, having faith in his players pays off because it gives the Lions plenty of chances to score points and go on lengthy drives that other teams are reluctant to undertake. In spite of the fact that the Lions’ aggression and strategy failed, Campbell doesn’t need to alter his methods despite receiving harsh criticism for going for it on fourth down.
Despite the fact that NFL kickers consistently miss in high-pressure circumstances, Campbell’s decision has drawn a good deal of criticism since it, for whatever reason, treats a field goal attempt as an automatic three point conversion. The Lions were extra motivated to keep their offense on the field in order to take huge hits against the 49ers because Michael Badgley has been everything but reliable for them, especially when it comes to longer throws. A weak kicker or an offensive line full of the NFL’s top players? It’s not an entirely unjustifiable stance unless survivorship bias has a strong influence on the individual’s viewpoint.
In addition, the defense of the Lions was unable to force a stop in the second half. After a fumble by Jahmyr Gibbs and an inadvertent mistake by defensive back Kindle Vildor, which allowed Brandon Aiyuk to make a game-changing catch to set up another 49ers touchdown, Detroit found itself in a difficult situation. It’s possible that those plays contributed more to the loss than any of Campbell’s fourth-down choices. If they had done a better job on the playing field, they might not have even needed to go for it. That particular game was all it was.
It’s a blame-game approach used by those who don’t want to take the effort to understand how data is incorporated into a game plan; Campbell is not a slave to the “analytics” or doing these things in a vacuum that ignores the players he will be facing. He’s taking his time to work out how to put together the best possible plan that takes everything into account. From distance and down to a kicker’s dependability and implicit faith in his teammates. It all becomes relevant. Simply said, the Lions didn’t accomplish enough to cross the finish line.
Things don’t always work out the way that people hope. Due to the Lions’ dismal performance during the previous many decades, a large number of fans developed strong emotional attachments to the team’s success. Nevertheless, it makes more sense to follow the strategy that led them to the NFC title game rather than suddenly changing the course of events.
Dan, don’t alter. SometimesWhile the organization has a long list of free agents it needs to take care of, not all is lost in Baltimore during this period of transition. Even though his most recent game was uneventful, Lamar Jackson is still a top quarterback and can still throw the ball well. For consistency on that side of the ball, offensive coordinator Todd Monken will be back, and John Harbaugh will resume his 17-year tenure as head coach. Even if it’s a somewhat worse squad than the one the Ravens just assembled, they still have the pieces to make another run through the AFC next season. it’s simply not your day, but in the grand scheme of things, everything will work out.
Baltimore is ready to face the consequences of its own success.
Aw, the Ravens. Very near. Really, really near. They had the best football squad all season, but they couldn’t win again, and the Chiefs advanced to their fourth Super Bowl in the previous five years. They didn’t achieve what they had hoped for, and they will carry that disappointment around for a long time. The Ravens created an organization that, for the most part, dwarfs the norms of the typical NFL franchise. Teams who aspire to have an MVP quarterback and a face-eating defense will now attempt to plunder the Ravens’ cupboard, especially in terms of defense.
Mike Macdonald, the defensive coordinator, is already leaving to become head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. Throughout the season, the Ravens were adept at stopping opposing teams’ offenses; in the AFC title game, they even managed to keep the Chiefs to 0 points in the second half. With offensive as strong and well-planned as ever, genuine masterminds like Macdonald will be in high demand in this league. Regretfully, the Ravens lost Macdonald as a result of their success with him.
That includes the men in the front office and assistant coaches. Zach Orr, the linebackers coach, is interviewing to be the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. Both associate head coach Anthony Weaver and pass game coordinator Chris Hewitt have interviewed for the positions. Since Macdonald accepted a head-coaching position with the Los Angeles Chargers, it is likely that a few of their defensive assistants will accompany him in his attempt to duplicate the success he enjoyed in Baltimore. Joe Hortiz, director of player personnel, took over as general manager of the team.
While the organization has a long list of free agents it needs to take care of, not all is lost in Baltimore during this period of transition. Even though his most recent game was uneventful, Lamar Jackson is still a top quarterback and can still throw the ball well. For consistency on that side of the ball, offensive coordinator Todd Monken will be back, and John Harbaugh will resume his 17-year tenure as head coach. Even if it’s a somewhat worse squad than the one the Ravens just assembled, they still have the pieces to make another run through the AFC next season.
