Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey isn’t injured but will not play in Pro Bowl
Christian McCaffrey was expected to make his first Pro Bowl appearance in just over a week, but that’s no longer happening.
The Panthers running back will not be attending the event, the league announced Thursday. Saints running back Alvin Kamara will go in his place.
McCaffrey was given an injury designation, per the Saints’ release about the news, howerver, he is not injured.
When a new head coach takes over, teams can begin their offseason workouts two weeks earlier. Because of the date change, McCaffrey had to adjust his recovery and training schedule for the offseason and is not attending the Pro Bowl so he can make sure he is ready for those spring team workouts, according to a source with direct knowledge of the decision who was not authorized to speak on McCaffrey’s behalf.
With the hiring of new head coach Matt Rhule’s this month, the Panthers will start offseason training April 6 as opposed to April 20 for teams with returning coaches.
McCaffrey is coming off a historic year in which he became the third player in NFL history to record 1,000 receiving yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a season. In his third year, he was named First-Team All-Pro as a running back and a flex player.
With linebacker Luke Kuechly retiring this week, guard Trai Turner is Carolina’s only remaining representative at the Pro Bowl.
This story was originally published January 16, 2020 at 11:06 PM.
