With the Nov. 1 trade deadline on the horizon, the NFL has its first major blockbuster. The Carolina Panthers agreed to trade star running back Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco 49ers for multiple draft selections, depending on NFL Media and confirmed by CBS Sports NFL the initiate Josina Anderson. In exchange for McCaffrey, the The panthers receive Second, third and fourth round picks in 2023, plus a fifth round pick in 2024.
After head coach Matt Rhule was fired, the Panthers reportedly began listening to offers from McCaffrey as they sought to rebuild. Along with the 49ers, the NFL Network notes that the Los Angeles Rams were also in talks to acquire McCaffrey, but he ends up with rival NFC West. Although there has been speculation that the Buffalo Ticketsa colleague superbowl claiming, perhaps in the mix for McCaffrey’s services, it was would have not the case.
It ends a six-year run in Carolina for McCaffrey, who was selected No. 8 overall in 2017 NFL Draft out of Stanford. During this time, he became one of the best all-around guards in NFL history. He became the fastest player in league history to reach 3,000 rushing yards and 3,000 receiving yards. The 26-year-old is also tied for the most consecutive games with a reception by a running back with 57.
The deal was made possible with the help of the 49ers having six additional compensatory draft picks in the third round. The choices came from Sending in progress Robert Saleh at New York JetsMike McDaniel at Miami Dolphins and Martin Mayhew at Washington Commanders in recent off-seasons.
The only thing that kept McCaffrey from achieving even higher ratings throughout the early stages of his career was injury. After playing every game in his first three seasons, he was limited to just 10 games between 2020 and 2021 due to injury. That said, McCaffrey has been sharp in the 2022 campaign and has played in 85.1% of offensive snaps so far.
Not only does McCaffrey’s elite talent as a runner and receiver out of the backfield make him an attractive trade target, but he is also under the control of the team for the foreseeable future as he is currently under contract until in the 2025 season, so he could be part of Kyle Shanahan’s backfield in San Francisco for the foreseeable future.
The Niners needed a talent boost in their backfield after Elijah Mitchell sprained his MCL in Week 1. Where he can specifically help is through receiving play. So far this season, Niners guards have just 19 receptions, which is tied for seventh most in the NFL. McCaffrey will now headline a band that also includes Jeff Wilson Jr., Tevin Colemanand Tyrion Davis Price.
As for what his addition may mean for this season, CBS Sports research analyst Stephen Oh sees San Francisco going from a 67.9% chance of making the playoffs to 71.3% in its final projections. As for the NFC West, their odds of winning the division went from 49% to 52.5%.
The 49ers face off Chiefs at Levi’s Stadium this Sunday and it will be interesting to see how much (if any) action McCaffrey will see given the end of the week when he joins his new club. NFL Media reports that McCaffrey is scheduled to fly to San Francisco on Friday. If he plays on Sunday, he should see a red zone forfeit.
