After several weeks of speculation around Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey being traded, the deal is finally done. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that he is being traded to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for draft picks. The Panthers confirmed the trade on their Twitter page shortly after.
Christian McCaffrey Trade Compensation and Insight
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport provided details about the trade compensation shortly after Schefter tweeted the news. The Panthers will get a second-round pick in 2023, a third-round pick in 2023, a fourth-round pick in 2023, and a fifth-rounder in 2024.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the Los Angeles Rams made a push for McCaffrey but weren’t able to put together a deal that matched the 49ers. And, despite the rumors around the Buffalo Bills being interested in the star running back, Rapoport notes that they were never a serious contender.
The Panthers were looking for at least one first-round draft pick, but the Rams and 49ers didn’t have one in the 2023 NFL Draft. Schefter tweeted that what ultimately helped the 49ers close the deal for McCaffrey was their six extra third-round compensatory draft picks they acquired for losing Robert Saleh to the Jets, Mike McDaniel to the Dolphins, and Martin Mayhew to the Commanders in recent offseasons.
MORE: Foreman or Hubbard? Fantasy Outlook for Panthers Backfield
Beyond the NFL trade deadline approaching, it made sense for the Panthers to pull off the trade heading into Week 7. In Week 6, McCaffrey accounted for 75% of the Panthers’ offensive yards, so his value was at its highest point in at least two seasons.
But on the surface, for the 49ers, giving up this many draft picks for an injury-prone running back doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. While McCaffrey didn’t suffer any major injuries in his first three NFL seasons, and while he has avoided any major injuries this season, he missed 23 games (out of a possible 33) during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Additionally, NFL teams are passing at higher rates than ever before, and although CMC is arguably the league’s best receiving back, RB targets are more inefficient than throws to wide receivers or tight ends.
MORE: Week 7 QB Power Rankings
There are also financials to sort through. McCaffrey is in the first year of a four-year, $64 million extension that makes him the highest-paid running back in the NFL. The 49ers will owe McCaffrey just $690,000 for the remainder of the 2022 season. But then he will be due $12 million in both 2023 and 2024, and $12.2M in 2025. He has just $1M guaranteed for injury.
However, there is no denying the special talent McCaffrey has and the impact he can make when he is on the field. In 2019, he became the third player in NFL history to post at least 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season.
And this season, in an offense that has done very little, McCaffrey has been the lone bright spot for the Panthers, accumulating 670 yards from scrimmage — fourth best in the NFL. While his leading the team in rushing with 393 yards was expected, what wasn’t was his leading the team with 33 catches for 277 yards.
Now, McCaffrey will head to a team in desperate need of a clear RB1 and should fit in quite nicely as a featured part of the offense with a coaching staff led by Kyle Shanahan, who will surely know how to utilize his dual-threat skill set.
McCaffrey’s status for Sunday is in the air due to the quick turnaround, but if he does play against the Kansas City Chiefs, Rapoport notes that he will be on the field in red zone packages.
Heading into Week 8, it’s expected that he will assume the full-time RB role and be slotted ahead of Jeff Wilson, Tyrion Davis-Price, and Tevin Coleman on the 49ers’ depth chart. Don’t forget about Elijah Mitchell, who was RB1 before suffering an injury in Week 1.
MORE: 49ers Depth Chart: Fantasy Impact of McCaffrey Trade
For the Panthers, they have clearly waved the white flag on the 2022 season, shortly after head coach Matt Rhule was fired. D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard are the next men up on the Panthers RB depth chart, but that will only likely matter for fantasy football purposes.
And behind McCaffrey, the next closest pass catcher was WR Robbie Anderson, who had 13 receptions for 206 yards. But he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals ahead of their Week 7 Thursday Night matchup against the New Orleans Saints after getting into a sideline argument with members of the offensive coaching staff this past Sunday.
With McCaffrey accounting for 30 of the Panthers’ 79 first downs this season and with him totaling 158 of the Panthers’ 203 offensive yards in Week 6, it would surprise no one to see the Panthers continue to be ranked at the bottom of the league on the offensive side of the ball throughout the remainder of the 2022 season.
The real storyline to watch the rest of the way in Carolina is how many other players they will look to trade ahead of the trade deadline as they begin the process of rebuilding their roster with a new head coach and, possibly, a new general manager heading into the 2023 season.