CHARLOTTE, NC — The San Francisco 49ers are sending second-, third- and fourth-round picks in 2023 and a fifth-round pick in 2024 to the Carolina Panthers for star running back Christian McCaffrey, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday night. .
The deal gives San Francisco the offensive weapon needed to compete for a Super Bowl. It also gives McCaffrey a chance to be on a winning team for the first time since his rookie season in 2017 when Carolina went 11-5 and returned to the Bay Area where he starred in college at Stanford.
When healthy, McCaffrey is one of the best dual threats in the NFL. In 2019, he became only the third player in NFL history to have 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season. His 670 yards from scrimmage — a team-leading 393 yards rushing and team-leading 33 catches for 277 yards — this season ranks fourth in the NFL.
Injuries have been the biggest issue for the former Stanford star. He missed 23 of 33 games during the 2020 and 2021 seasons after being injury-free in his first three NFL seasons. He spent time this past offseason talking to Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk, who had some of his most productive seasons beginning in Year 6, about what workout and diet practices could help keep him on the field.
So far McCaffrey has avoided injuries, playing 85% of Carolina’s snaps.
Speculation the Panthers (1-5) might move on from McCaffrey, 26, began after coach Matt Rhule was fired Monday after the team fell to 1-4 with a 37-15 loss to the 49ers. According to a non-Panthers front-office source, Carolina was initially asking for two first-round draft picks.
Financially, the deal makes sense for Carolina. McCaffrey, the eighth pick of the 2017 draft, is under contract through the 2025 season with a base salary of $11 million in 2022 and 2023 and $12 million in 2025. He has cap hits of $19,550,750 in 2023 and 2024, and $15,450,750 in 2025. .
The trade also makes financial sense to the 49ers this season. McCaffrey has a base salary of $1,035,000 in 2022 after his contract was restructured in December of 2021. Between the $26,938,000 million dead money hit the Panthers have on the books in 2022 and his 2022 and 2023 cap hit, Carolina will have a 2023 cap savings of $1,198,500.
The key for Carolina is getting McCaffrey’s 2023-25 cap hits off the books moving forward. The Panthers will replace McCaffrey with 2021 draft pick Chuba Hubbard and D’Onta Foreman, who was acquired in a trade with the Tennessee Titans during the offseason. Foreman has 12 carries for 37 yards and Hubbard five for 39 this season.
A dejected McCaffrey said “All I want to do is win” following Sunday’s 24-10 loss to the Rams that dropped the Panthers to 1-5. Now he’ll have his chance.
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