Once upon a time, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was almost a member of the Los Angeles Rams.

There were rumblings leading up to the blockbuster trade from the Carolina Panthers in 2022 that Sean McVay and Les Snead were interested in McCaffrey before the 49ers swooped in. Before he heard the news, McCaffrey even thought he was headed to L.A. The 49ers star told San Franc teammate George Kittle that when his agent called him to tell him the news, he thought the deal would be with another NFC West team.

“I thought I was getting traded to the Rams,” McCaffrey said.

“I thought I was getting traded to the Rams.”

Christian McCaffrey tells the story of when he found out he got traded to the 49ers in 2022.

“Before Kyle Shanahan or John Lynch could call me, George calls me, ‘DUDE! FU*K LET’S GOOO!'”

(via @kittlethings) pic.twitter.com/AjU3PZ0q8k

— KNBR (@KNBR) September 30, 2025

McCaffrey played six games for the Panthers that season before the 49ers traded for a second-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-round pick that year.

The Rams, meanwhile, were rolling with a backfield of 2020 second-round pick Cam Akers and 2019 third-round pick Darrell Henderson.

Coincidentally, losing out on the McCaffrey deal paved the way for their 2022 fifth-round pick that year, Kyren Williams, to take over the starting role in 2023. Williams tallied just 139 rushing yards on 35 carries in 10 games his rookie year before he got the chance to earn the job the following year.

This is one of those wild “what if” moments in NFL history that changed the trajectory of both franchises. The Rams were looking for a spark-plug in what ended up being a down season, but came out instead with an in-house starting running back in Williams and used the picks they would have sent to the Panthers for McCaffrey on their current crop of defensive stars.

L.A. drafted starting guard Steve Avila in the second round, pass rusher Byron Young and defensive tackle Kobie Turner in the third and receiver Puka Nacua in the fifth. All four of those draft picks wouldn’t likely have been included in any trade for McCaffrey, meaning the Rams may not have had the chance to select any of those players. Young and Turner are two of the stars on defense, while Nacua is arguably a top-10 receiver and Avila is a key piece of the offensive line.

McCaffrey is a great player, but the Rams may have ended up with the better deal in the end.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Christian McCaffrey thought he was getting traded to the Rams in 2022