Christian McCaffrey is going back to Cali.
The former Stanford standout is headed to the Golden State after being dealt to the 49ers late Thursday night. And although McCaffrey made his bones 35 miles south of San Francisco as a college standout, McCaffrey's acquisition signifies a return to home in more ways than one.
That's because the former All-Pro tailback also has a long-standing relationship with Niners coach Kyle Shanahan. In fact, Shanahan "babysat" McCaffrey when the now-coach was just a fresh-faced teenager. At least that's what the pair think.
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You see, McCaffrey's dad, former NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, was one of John Elway's favorite targets in Denver. He won a Super Bowl with the Broncos in 1998, a team coached by none other than Shanahan's dad, Mike.
And so it comes full circle: Former NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey played for former 49ers OC Mike Shanahan in San Francisco, and now McCaffrey's son Christian will play for Shanahan's son Kyle in San Francisco.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 21, 2022
The nature of the Ed and Mike's relationship defined many of their children's interactions with one another. McCaffrey, who was just a toddler at the time, told reporters that he was under the impression that Shanahan watched over him from time to time.
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"We go way back to when I was little," McCaffrey said, per NFL.com's Marc Sessler. "I think he babysat me sometimes."
Shanahan corroborated the story to the best of his ability, although he noted it was very possible that his sister, Krystal, could have taken on most of the child-sitting responsibilities. Nonetheless, Shanahan confirmed that Ed McCaffrey played a pivotal role in shaping his football future.
After all, there's a reason why Shanahan wore No. 87 in college.
"If I did [babysit him], I probably left my sister to do it very quickly and moved on. His dad was my hero growing up," Shanahan said. "I was close with Ed and his wife Lisa — that's really why I wore 87 in college. Ed was the man. I knew all his sons, they're a lot younger when I knew them, but they've all turned out be pretty good athletes and real good people."
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McCaffrey's mom, Lisa, noted that Krystal was her son's primary babysitter when the families overlapped:
His sister, Krystal did. And now she has 4 boys of her own. Thought watching my 4 would make for better birth control. 😊
— Lisa McCaffrey (@LisaMcCaffrey6) September 6, 2017
Nonetheless, McCaffrey's return to California represents a homecoming in more ways than one. Shanahan and CMC will hope to find themselves in a similar position to that of their fathers this time around, too — hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in a monsoon of confetti at season's end.
