Before he was a two-time Super Bowl winner with the Denver Broncos, former NFL wide receiver, Ed McCaffrey, was a Super Bowl champion with the 1994 San Francisco 49ers. McCaffrey put together a very good NFL career in which he played with a couple of Hall of Fame quarterbacks—Steve Young and John Elway. But his proudest moments, arguably, have come watching his son, Christian McCaffrey, play the game.
While he played, the elder McCaffrey was a good receiver, but he was never this team's top target. In San Francisco, McCaffrey was behind players such as Jerry Rice and John Taylor. In Denver, Rod Smith and TE Shannon Sharpe were the ones receiving more pass targets. His son, however, is the focal point on a team filled with offensive stars. And now, McCaffrey's youngest son, Luke, is in the NFL, as well, playing for the Washington Commanders.
Recently, McCaffrey spoke with Betway.com to discuss his sons, the 49ers, the Broncos, and college football. Asked if the 49ers and his son, Christian, can take their journey one step further and win the Super Bowl this season, McCaffrey said that's the plan. "That's the goal every year, to win the Super Bowl," McCaffrey said. "They came so close last year, I really feel they should have won it, but they didn't. The only thing you can do in those circumstances is turn the page and start working towards doing it again this season."
The 49ers, of course, lost Super Bowl LVIII to the Kansas City Chiefs. It was the second time San Francisco had lost the Super Bowl to the Chiefs in the past five seasons. Many have speculated whether or not the Super Bowl loss might negatively affect the 49ers in 2024. Teams who lose the Super Bowl tend to struggle in the following season.
Fortunately for 49ers fans, San Francisco still has the best roster in football. If they can stay healthy, they should make another deep run. Does that mean McCaffrey is picking the 49ers to win it all next February? If he is, he's keeping his cards close to his vest.
"I have got three kids that are still involved with the NFL," McCaffrey said. "My oldest son, Max, coaches for the Dolphins, my youngest son Luke was just drafted by the Washington Commanders, and then obviously Christian plays for the 49ers. I'll be rooting for all of them. I don't ever push all my chips in on anything. I like throwing a circle on a piece of paper and then looking through all 32 teams and trying to figure out which five or six teams have a real good shot getting to the playoffs and maybe win in the Super Bowl. The 49ers are one of those teams.
"It's the same teams that were in the playoffs the year before, and one or two newcomers. In the NFC, Detroit has a good team, Green Bay is putting a good team together, and Dallas has a good team. They will still be in contention. I think the Rams will be a better team than they were a year before, and I'm rooting for Dan Quinn and the Commanders, with Luke in Washington, to turn things around.
"There's just a lot of competition in the NFC. Chicago's a better team. Atlanta's a better team, and usually there's one new team that sneaks in there."
McCaffrey's middle son may not yet have his father's Super Bowl pedigree, but his 2023 season was elite. McCaffrey led the league in rushing with 1,459 yards. He had 14 touchdowns on the ground, to go along with 67 catches for 564 yards and seven touchdowns. McCaffrey was a first-team All-Pro and named the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year.
Asked if his son could take another step and win NFL MVP this season, or possibly someday be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, McCaffrey insisted he and his family aren't focused on things like awards.
"We don't think that way," McCaffrey said. "Right now he's still in the thick of it. Up until now, I love the fact that he's done a lot of things that have never been done in the NFL, set a lot of records that he broke from really great players, but he wants to keep doing that. When he's retired, like all those other guys, we'll have that discussion.
"We don't think about individual honors, but I hope so. I thought he had a chance to win it last year. He had a phenomenal season."
McCaffrey and the 49ers open their 2024 season on Monday night against the New York Jets. Although he's been hobbled by a calf and Achilles injury, the 49ers expect McCaffrey to play. And according to his father, when he steps on the field, he won't be thinking about personal accolades or Hall of Fame statistics. Rather, he'll be focused on helping his team do what they failed to do last season—win the Super Bowl.
