Christian McCaffrey to make San Francisco 49ers debut against Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday after trade from Carolina Panthers

Christian McCaffrey is expected to make his San Francisco 49ers debut on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs after his trade from the Carolina Panthers this week.

The Panthers announced the deal on Thursday night and the 49ers are said to have a package of plays in Sunday's game plan for McCaffrey, who is said to have picked up the offense quickly since touching down in San Francisco.

The Panthers received picks in the second, third and fourth rounds of the 2023 Draft, as well as a fifth-rounder in 2024 as part of the trade, according to reports.

Carolina had been seeking a first-round pick, but San Francisco had already dealt their 2023 first-round pick in order to move up the draft and select Trey Lance at quarterback last year.

• Cards overcome early struggles to storm past Saints | Murray rants at coach
• Lamar's Ravens in Browns rivalry clash | NFL Week Seven games live on Sky
• NFL best video clips & game highlights

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

McCaffrey 'fired up' by 49ers move

Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan is thrilled with the addition of McCaffrey. "I don't think there's anything he can't do, whether it's in the pass game, the run game, blocking," he said.

"I think he's a very talented player. Just watching how he plays, he's a very smart player. He always gets to the right hole, is very smooth, and I've seen that at every level he's played in."

The move sees McCaffrey return to the Bay Area where he starred in college at Stanford. He will join a talented group of playmakers in San Francisco, including versatile receiver Deebo Samuel, star tight end George Kittle and promising young wideout Brandon Aiyuk.

And McCaffrey is excited at the prospect of playing with such esteemed talent. "I've obviously watched them for a long time," he said.

"In my opinion, [it's] the best run game and one of the most explosive offenses in the league. And I think you just go down the roster and you look at all the guys, I think that's the thing I'm most excited about.

"How could you not want to play here as an offensive weapon? I'm extremely fired up."

The Niners (3-3) have had a mixed start to the season due, in large part, to the team suffering a raft of injuries, including to starting running back Elijah Mitchell, who is out with a knee injury, prompting the move for McCaffrey.

The 26-year-old has himself missed 23 games over the previous two seasons due to injuries, but has played in all six games this season and is fourth in the NFL in yards from scrimmage (607) despite playing for the league's 32nd-ranked offense. He and Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb are the only players in the league to have five games this year with at least 100 yards from scrimmage.

San Francisco general manager John Lynch said of the move: "You only do this when you have a belief in your team as it's constructed.

"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."

'Not a better running back-receiver combo in football'

McCaffrey's best season came in 2019 when he had 1,387 yards rushing and 1,005 yards receiving, making only the third player in NFL history to eclipse 1,000 yards in both categories. He also had 19 touchdowns that season and was named first-team All-Pro.

The former Panthers back, taken with the eighth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, provides Shanahan with one of the best as both a runner and receiver, adding another element to San Francisco's offense.

NFL columnist Peter King, appearing on NBC's Pro Football Talk (Sky Sports NFL, weekdays, 6pm), believes that the addition of McCaffrey makes the 49ers' offense the envy of the league.

He said: "They now have a premier running back, who - and this is a gigantic 'if' based on his history - if he stay's healthy, there is not a better running back-wide receiver combination in football than Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel as far as dangerous weapons. There might be equal, but not better."

McCaffrey's father, Ed, won a Super Bowl with the 49ers in the 1994 season and two more titles in Denver with Shanahan's father, Mike, as his head coach.

McCaffrey has a $990,000 salary this year after Carolina reworked his contract, making him an easy fit under the salary cap. He is owed about $36m over the next three years, but none of that is guaranteed.

He becomes the second skill position player to be traded this week by the Panthers (1-5) since coach Matt Rhule was fired on October 10. Carolina sent wide receiver Robbie Anderson to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday for two future late-round draft picks.

The trade leaves the already depleted, and largely inept Panthers offense extremely thin at running back with Donta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard expected to compete for the starting job and Raheem Blackshear potentially in the mix for more work.

Sky Sports NFL is your dedicated channel for NFL coverage through the season - featuring a host of NFL Network programming. Don't forget to follow us on skysports.com/nfl, our Twitter account @SkySportsNFL & Sky Sports - on the go!