Sean McVay's reaction validates McCaffrey trade for 49ers, Cowherd says

The San Francisco 49ers' trade for running back Christian McCaffrey sent shockwaves across the NFL for multiple reasons. 

Obviously, the movement of an All-Pro player is sure to make headlines. But the other aspect was how much the 49ers gave the Carolina Panthers in order to land him, parting with a second, a third and a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, plus a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Several analysts thought the price was steep for the 49ers considering they've already traded their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and because of McCaffrey's health, plus the positional value of a running back.

However, Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, who defeated the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game en route to winning the Super Bowl last year, praised the 49ers' recent acquisition, as they were reportedly trying to land McCaffrey themselves. And Colin Cowherd believes that McVay's reaction to the trade holds greater meaning than the reaction of most.

"You can always tell if you made a good move by how your rival reacts to it," Cowherd said on Wednesday's "The Herd." "I said I guarantee you the Rams went, ‘Oh crap, Kyle Shanahan got another weapon.’ Well, sure enough, Sean McVay was asked what's your first reaction to the move? As we predicted, we know it's a good move when Sean McVay goes, ‘Oh crap, they got a really good piece.' 

"You can't be paralyzed by value. Sometimes, nice stuff costs money and you're not getting a break on it. That's the way it is. Not everything's a value proposition."

Cowherd actually paraphrased McVay's comment quite well, considering the Rams coach let out his own … superlative.

"You thought, 'Oh, s---. They're getting another great player?'" McVay told reporters when asked to react to the trade. "As a competitor, you say, 'Hey, they've got him. We've got to be able to move forward accordingly.' And it just so happens that they're on the schedule this week."

The 49ers have been one of the league's best teams in recent seasons. They reached the Super Bowl in 2019 before falling short against the Chiefs. They made it to the NFC Championship Game last season and held a lead in the fourth quarter before the Rams came back to win. 

The 49ers will get a chance to showcase their new running back after a full week of practice against the Rams on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX).