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It’s not often an NFL team’s Super Bowl odds drastically shift in the middle of the week, but when you trade for one of the best players in all of football, the sportsbooks are forced to adjust.

That’s exactly what we saw Thursday night when the San Francisco 49ers shocked the NFL world by trading for superstar running back Christian McCaffrey. Kyle Shanahan finally has the do-it-all RB he’s been tirelessly searching for, and the 49ers Super Bowl odds have soared as a result.

49ers trade for Christian McCaffrey

Christian McCaffrey avoids a tackle against the 49ers.
Christian McCaffrey of the Carolina Panthers avoids a tackle by Dre Greenlaw of the San Francisco 49ers | Eakin Howard/Getty Images

We figured a fire sale might be coming out of Carolina after the Panthers fired head coach Matt Rhule five games into the 2022-23 season, and it’s officially begun.

On Thursday night, the Panthers traded McCaffrey to the 49ers for second-, third- and fourth-round picks in 2023 and a fifth-round pick in 2024, per a tweet from Adam Schefter of ESPN. It’s a massive haul for a position that’s been deteriorating in value over the last few years, but the 49ers believe McCaffrey is the missing piece to their Super Bowl puzzle.

Shanahan was likely up all night dreaming about the ways he can use McCaffrey in the running game and catching the ball out of the backfield. Combine him with Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk; and the 49ers now have one of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL to pair with an elite defense when healthy.

49ers Super Bowl odds soar after Christian McCaffrey trade

The 49ers’ Super Bowl odds started to slip after their 28-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6. San Francisco was priced around +2000 before the McCaffrey trade, which put the team behind the Philadelphia Eagles, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Green Bay Packers on the NFC odds board.

But that’s changed overnight.

After acquiring McCaffrey, the 49ers jumped the Packers and Vikings on the odds board. Here’s how San Fran’s Super Bowl odds changed at three major sportsbooks, per Covers.

FanDuel: +1900 —> +1400
BetMGM: +1800 —> +1400
DraftKings: +2500 —> +1600

Are you riding the new-look 49ers to win the Super Bowl at their new price?

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Jack Dougherty

Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies.

When Jack isn’t writing about sports, he’s watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He’s also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.