Panthers trade star RB Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco 49ers for multiple picks
The Carolina Panthers are moving on from one of their few cornerstone players.
The Panthers traded former All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday for multiple draft picks, a league source confirmed to The Observer late Thursday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the news.
According to the league source, the Panthers will receive a second-round pick in 2023, a third-rounder in 2023, and a fourth-round pick in 2023, plus, a fifth-rounder in 2024.
McCaffrey had been a career Panther, dating back to his eighth overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft. McCaffrey, who made his lone Pro Bowl in 2019, produced 3,980 rushing yards, 3,292 receiving yards and 102 total touchdowns in 64 games (58 starts) for the franchise.
McCaffrey led the Panthers with 393 rushing yards and 277 receiving yards through the first six games of this season. He also produced three total touchdowns for one of the worst offenses in the NFL.
But while McCaffrey was productive when healthy, the running back had a laundry list of an injury history and routinely took Wednesdays off as a veteran maintenance day this season to recover from games.
McCaffrey played just 10 games during the previous two seasons, as ankle, shoulder, thigh and hamstring injuries forced the running back to either miss time or play through pain.
Still, McCaffrey is one of the most versatile backs in the league, and at only 26, he is a special playmaker who can elevate an offense.
McCaffrey, who only had a $1.035 million base salary this season, had a deal that the 49ers could easily fit under their cap. The Panthers will incur $26.1 million dead money over the next two years, according to Spotrac.
McCaffrey, who is signed through 2025, has a base salary of $11.8 million next season. He also has a $200,000 workout bonus attached to each year throughout the remainder of his contract.
With McCaffrey headed elsewhere, the Panthers will rely on the running back trio of D’Onta Foreman, Chuba Hubbard and Raheem Blackshear. Foreman and Hubbard have combined for just 71 rushing yards on 18 carries this season.
The Panthers headed into the season with just four draft picks for next year’s offseason. Their haul for McCaffrey will allow them to target more talent in the upcoming draft, as well as entice a new head coach, as they look to move past the Matt Rhule era in earnest.
This story was originally published October 20, 2022 at 11:32 PM.
