In exchange for star running back Christian McCaffrey, the San Francisco 49ers will give the Carolina Panthers a second-round, third-round, and fourth-round selection in 2023 as well as a fifth-round choice in 2024, according to several sources who spoke with Adam Schefter of ESPN on Thursday night.
San Francisco Obtains the Offensive Playmaker
Through this trade, San Francisco acquires the offensive playmaker it needs to be in the running for a Super Bowl spot.
It also provides McCaffrey the opportunity to return to the Bay Area, where he flourished during his time as a student at Stanford and play for a winning club for the first time since his rookie season in 2017 when Carolina finished with an 11-5 record.
When fully fit, McCaffrey is among the most dangerous dual threats in the National Football League. In the 2019 season, he became just the third player in the history of the NFL to have 1,000 yards receiving in addition to 1,000 yards running in a single campaign.
This season, his 670 yards from scrimmage rank fourth in the NFL. He led the club in running with 393 yards and also led the team in receiving with 33 receptions for 277 yards.
On Friday morning, McCaffrey took to Twitter to express her gratitude to all of the individuals who had played a role in making the last five and a half years such a memorable experience for her.
“I am grateful to you from the depths of my heart. Dear Carolina, my love for you will never end.” The former standout at Stanford has struggled the most to overcome his injury problems.
After Being Injury-Free Throughout His First Three NFL Seasons
After being injury-free during his first three NFL seasons, he ended up missing a combined 23 of 33 games during the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.
He spent some time during 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 kinds of workout and diet practices could help him stay on the field.
Faulk had some of his most productive seasons beginning in Year 6.
McCaffrey has played in 85 percent of Carolina’s snaps so far without suffering any ailments.
After the Panthers dropped to 1-4 with a defeat to the 49ers by a score of 37-15 on Sunday, head coach Matt Rhule was let go on Monday, which led to rumors that the Panthers could move on from running back Christian McCaffrey,
Je is 26 years old. A source from a front office that is not affiliated with the Panthers said that Carolina’s original demand was for two first-round draft selections.
On Thursday night, the Panthers made the announcement and congratulated McCaffrey in a tweet for his contributions. Carolina did not declare remuneration from San Francisco.
The transaction makes sense for Carolina from a financial standpoint. McCaffrey was selected eighth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, and his current deal is set to expire after the 2025 season.
His basic pay is set to increase to $12 million in 2025 from $11 million in 2022 and 2023. His cap hits of $19,550,750 will occur in 2023 and 2024, while his cap hits of $15,450,750 will occur in 2025.
The Move Benefits The 49ers In Several Ways
The deal is beneficial for the 49ers in terms of their budget for this season. After having his contract revised in December 2021, McCaffrey is entitled to a basic salary of $1,035,000 in the year 2022.
Because of his salary cap hits in 2022 and 2023, the Panthers will have savings of $1,198,500 in 2023 even though they have a dead-money hit on their books for $26,938,000 for the year 2022.
Sources informed ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that the Panthers see the wide receiver, DJ Moore, as a vital element to the roster for the long term even though the club has received many trade calls on DJ Moore, their other top playmaker, and wide receiver.
The 49ers were awarded six additional third-round compensatory draft picks as a result of recent player departures, including Robert Saleh to the New York Jets, Mike McDaniel to the Miami Dolphins, and Martin Mayhew to the Washington Commanders.
These departures occurred during the previous off-seasons. These picks were used to help the 49ers facilitate the trade. This is a fantastic opportunity for McCaffrey, who almost went to the 49ers and coach Kyle Shanahan in the 2017 NFL draft.
The 49ers had the second overall selection in that draft, and Shanahan has indicated more than once that he seriously contemplated taking McCaffrey before settling on Solomon Thomas, a defensive lineman who played with McCaffrey at Stanford but was drafted third overall due to trade down.
In addition, Mike Shanahan’s father, Mike, coached Ed McCaffrey’s father, Tom, for nine seasons when Tom played for the Denver Broncos. On October 9.
McCaffrey led the Panthers to a 37-15 victory against the Niners with his 104 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. Shanahan has previously said that McCaffrey was fully healthy and ready to play despite missing considerable time in prior years due to injury.
It was confirmed by Shanahan that McCaffrey is in good health. Also, he has not changed a bit in appearance.
He is a major headache. McCaffrey’s addition to the skill position group complements the likes of Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle, who are all receivers and tight ends, respectively.
But the 49ers are hoping that McCaffrey can help spark an offense that has been lackluster through the first six games.
Finishing Line
The Week 7 matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs has the Niners ranked 18th in yards per game and 22nd in points per game (with 18). (340.2). San Francisco has traded away a large portion of its draft capital for the 2023 NFL draft.
It was traded to the Dolphins so that they could move up and choose quarterback Trey Lance in the first round in 2021, however, the team now has no first-round pick. The San Francisco 49ers will not get a chance to choose until the third round of that draft.
Since the 49ers had two compensatory third-round choices, they were expected to have three selections in that round. They no longer have any selections in the first, second, or fourth rounds.
The Panthers, meantime, will replace McCaffrey with D’Onta Foreman (acquired in a deal with the Tennessee Titans in the summer) and Chuba Hubbard (a first-round selection in 2021).
Too far, Foreman has carried the ball 12 times for 37 yards, while Hubbard has carried the ball five times for 39. After Sunday’s 24-10 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, which reduced the Panthers to 1-5, a despondent McCaffrey remarked, “All I want to do is win.”
At last, the time has come for him to seize the opportunity.