The 49ers' offense reached another level after they traded for Christian McCaffrey on Oct. 20.
Solomon Thomas believes the trade allowed many in the Bay to remember the talent his former Stanford teammate possesses. Additionally, the former 49ers defensive tackle made it known that he'd like to play alongside McCaffrey again.
That would mean a reunion with San Francisco, which drafted him No. 3 overall in 2017.
"Oh, my gosh, Christian McCaffrey is one of the best guys I know," Thomas told NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco and Jennifer Lee Chan on Wednesday at Super Bowl Radio Row in Phoenix. "Just great human being. Great player, great teammate. You can ask for a better guy. And then the way he just fit like a puzzle piece in this offense, and it's crazy.
"I feel like people forgot how great he was. They forgot the All-Pro player. They forgot offensive player of the year, MVP-type player he is. And then they just got reminded this year about the greatness of Christian McCaffrey. And I'm excited for him. He's going to run this offense and run this league for a long time. I'm one of his biggest fans, former roommate [and] former teammate. [I] would love to play with him again. He's a great guy. [I] love my guy."
After leaving San Francisco following the 2020 season, Thomas played with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021 and joined the New York Jets in 2022. He's now entering free agency, which starts March 15, and could be on his third team in three seasons.
San Francisco 49ers
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The Jets nominated Thomas for the 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year for his work off the field. He has 155 tackles and 10 sacks in six NFL seasons, and whichever team signs him will add a good teammate.