Grading the Christian McCaffrey trade: D for 49ers, A for Panthers
The Carolina Panthers’ fire sale after firing former head coach Matt Rhule continues unabated. The team had already traded receiver Robby Anderson to the Arizona Cardinals, and now they’ve dealt running back Christian McCaffrey, the face of the offense when healthy, to the San Francisco 49ers for draft picks. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first with the report. Per Schefter, the 49ers are sending second-, third- and fourth-round picks in 2023 and a fifth-round pick in 2024 for McCaffrey.
Selected eighth overall by the Panthers out of Stanford in the 2017 draft, McCaffrey has been one of the league’s most productive backs, both as a runner and as a receiver, when he’s been able to get on the field. In 2019, he led the league with 403 touches, 2,392 yards from scrimmage, and 19 total touchdowns.
But he missed more of the next two seasons due to injury — 13 games in 2020, and 10 games in 2021 — than he played in. McCaffrey had played in each of the Panthers’ six games this season, gaining 393 yards and scoring two touchdowns on 85 carries, and catching 33 passes for 277 yards and another touchdown.
In Week 5 of the 2022 season against the 49ers, McCaffrey ran 14 times for 54 yards and a touchdown, adding seven catches for 50 yards. Rhule was fired ed the day after Carolina’s 37-15 loss.
McCaffrey signed a four-year, $64 million contract extension with the Panthers on April 16, 2020. His salary cap hits rise to $19,550,750 in both 2023 and 2024, and $15,450,750 in 2025.
This trade seems to be a massive risk for the 49ers. Yes, McCaffrey is a talented back, but between his injury history and his salary, Kyle Shanahan is acting heavily on faith in an offense where he has proven to be able to take relatively unheralded backs and turn them into stars. Adding in the number of draft picks given, and this makes you shake your head from the San Francisco side. The Panthers should thank their lucky stars that they were able to get this much in return.
