The 49ers made a splash Thursday night by trading for Carolina Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey, reminding the rest of the NFL that they are indeed still hunting the franchise’s sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy.
But did the decision to make a move for the All-Pro -- which cost San Francisco a bevy of draft picks -- really impact the team’s chance at winning the Super Bowl?
Yes, but maybe not to the extent that the 49ers Faithful were hoping.
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Odds released by PointsBet show that while the 49ers’ Super Bowl odds did increase thanks to the McCaffrey trade, it wasn’t by much. Before the move, San Francisco was listed at +1700 to win it all.
Once McCaffrey became a 49er, his new team’s odds inched up to +1600 -- tying them with the Minnesota Vikings. Ahead of the 49ers and Vikings are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+1200), Kansas City Chiefs (+700), Philadelphia Eagles (+550) and Buffalo Bills (+290).
So while San Francisco is still sitting pretty among the NFL’s top dogs with the fifth-best odds to win the Super Bowl, it could certainly be considered a surprise that the McCaffrey addition barely moved the needle in their favor.
Worth noting, however, is what general manager John Lynch said Friday after the trade. Lynch reiterated that the 49ers already had a roster with Super Bowl potential and took a chance in making it even stronger by adding McCaffrey
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"You only do this when you have a belief in your team as it's constructed," Lynch said. "We understand we have a lot of work to do, and this isn't a magic pill that's going to fix all of our ills as a team. We've all got to get better, but we do still very much believe in this team, and that's why we took a swing at an excellent football player."
The group already has made a case as contenders over the last six weeks, though their most recent loss to the Atlanta Falcons was their worst performance to date amid a wave of injuries on defense.
Still, the 49ers have jumped from +2000 to win the Super Bowl to their current odds since dropping their Week 1 matchup to the Chicago Bears. Jimmy Garoppolo taking over for an injured Trey Lance at quarterback contributed to that, as odds released after Lance broke his ankle showed, along with San Francisco’s 3-3 record to start the season.
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While it’s unclear whether or not McCaffrey will be in the 49ers’ backfield Sunday against the Chiefs, the team will look for him to be a game-changer in the coming weeks.
Because as this all-in trade for the running back suggests, San Francisco’s Quest for Six is far from over.
Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.