Christian McCaffrey is intent on getting the 49ers back into the win column while he plays with a chip on his shoulder, placed there by last week’s trade.
SANTA CLARA — Christian McCaffrey’s 49ers career is off to an 0-1 start, and he is not happy about that, nor is he at peace with being traded a week ago from the Carolina Panthers.
“I understand this is a business, but anytime somebody gets rid of you or something happens, you take it personally,” McCaffrey added. “I’m so happy to be here. But, yeah, absolutely. It’s part of the league. It’s part of the league. It happens to coaches. It happens to players. It’s just more wood in the fire.”
Carolina went 11-5 and made a one-game cameo in the playoffs his rookie year as the No. 8 pick in 2017. He then saw the Panthers lose 47 of 71 games before his exit; injuries limited him to 10 games combined in their five-win seasons of 2020 and ’21. Asked if he agreed with Garoppolo’s assessment of having quarterback-like vision, McCaffrey responded: “That’s a good compliment. I try to. You’ve got to think like them and be at the right spot at the right time. … It’s instinctual, it’s experience, and it’s understanding the concepts of a play.”