Running back Christian McCaffrey was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, but if it was up to Howie Roseman, he might have ended up on the Eagles.
According to a report from Sports Illustrated, the Eagles called the Carolina Panthers last week to check in on McCaffrey and even might have made an offer for the Pro-Bowl caliber running back.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer writes:
The 49ers were the first team to call, on Friday, Oct. 14, when they made their first offer. The Bills checked in later on that day, too. At that point, the Panthers told San Francisco, Buffalo and other teams that would subsequently call, that a first-rounder alone might get it done, and that a first-rounder and a later pick would get it done…More calls poured in Tuesday, with some teams just fishing—offering a third-rounder or a fourth-rounder to see whether a discount was in the offing. The Broncos and Eagles were among those teams (both have GMs who like to investigate pretty much everything). The day clarified who was really in and who wasn’t.
Roseman checking in on McCaffrey isn’t that surprising considering he is known around the NFL as checking in on pretty much any player he might think available. You don’t pull off surprising trades like Chauncey Gardner-Johnson without making a ton of calls all the time.
Still, Roseman having interest is noteworthy. The Eagles are currently 6-0 and have a real chance to win the Super Bowl. Adding McCaffrey to the roster for a mid-round pick would have increased their chances. While Miles Sanders is playing at a high level right now he is a free agent at the end of the year and adding McCaffrey would have given the Eagles a running back to count on in 2023.
Roseman offering, it seems, only a third-or-fourth round pick is also not surprising. Roseman was never going to give up the package of picks the 49ers did for a running back. At a discount, like a third-round pick, Roseman might have made the move.
Instead, he did what he seems to always be doing — calling around and trying to find out if he can get a talented player at a discount.
Once that didn’t happen, he moved on, and McCaffrey was traded to the 49ers.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!