The 49ers have made some difficult decisions during their roster reset for the 2025 NFL season and beyond, but one former player-turned-analyst believes they should take things a step further.
While San Francisco continues to clean house with a flurry of cost-cutting moves this offseason, Ryan Clark proposed that the team completely wipe it out to signal a true fresh start moving forward — including parting ways with its former Offensive Player of the Year.
“I would absolutely trade Christian McCaffrey, and I would try to get as much as I could possibly get for him,” Clark said Wednesday morning on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “When you look at what Kyle Shanahan has been able to do, it’s run the football. I know we thought last year that they missed some of the things with the versatility of Christian McCaffrey. But when you [release Kyle] Juszczyk, you let some of that versatility go, you let some of the things you can do formationally go.
“So, why not change your entire philosophy from thinking about Christian McCaffrey as this Swiss army knife? Getting pieces for him and allowing guys like Ricky Pearsall to touch the football more with running the football and doing different things on quick screens. Adding other players based on the assets that you could get for him. Also understanding that you’re looking for more available players than Christian McCaffrey was last year.”
“I would absolutely trade Christian McCaffrey. … If you’re going to rebuild, rebuild completely.” 👀
—@Realrclark25 on the 49ers’ offseason outlook pic.twitter.com/Zu3vZaEMrY
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 12, 2025
The 49ers on Monday night informed Juszczyk, who was the then-longest-tenured Niner, that he was being released after spending eight seasons with the team.
Other moves in their roster makeover included trading star receiver Deebo Samuel and losing standout defenders Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw in free agency.
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So, to Clark’s point, why not also move on from McCaffrey and build upon the pieces you get in return?
“You had a good stretch with him,” Clark said. “You took your run at the Super Bowl. You didn’t get it. If you’re going to rebuild, rebuild completely.”
McCaffrey only appeared in four games last season after spending the first eight weeks on injured reserve with bilateral Achilles tendinitis. He returned during Week 9 only to be ruled out for the remainder of the season four games later with a PCL injury.
This came just one season after his Offensive Player of the Year-awarded 2023 season, in which he racked up 2,023 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns — 14 rushing and seven through the air.
It seems unlikely that the 49ers will take Clark’s advice, but if the start of this offseason has shown anything, it’s to never say never.