SANTA CLARA, California – The San Francisco 49ers have purchased Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a package of draft picks.
The Panthers announced a deal on Thursday night, sending McCaffrey back to the Bay Area, where he went on to star in college at Stanford. They stated that it will be made official once McCaffrey passes his physical.
According to a person who knows the terms, the Panthers will receive picks in the second, third, and 4th rounds of the 2023 draft, in addition to a fifth-round pick in 2024. The individual spoke on the basis of anonymity because the terms were not made public.
Carolina was looking for a first pick, but San Francisco had already given up their 2023 first-round pick in a trade to draft Carolina.
McCaffrey joins a gifted group of players in San Francisco with versatile receiver Deebo Samuel, star tight end George Kittle andas well as receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
However, with starter Elijah Mitchell out with a knee injury, the Niners (3-3) were not as solid at running back. McCaffrey gives coach Kyle Shanahan one of the best runners and receivers in the league, adding another dimension to San Francisco’s offense.
This year, McCaffrey will be paid $990,000 after Carolina altered his contract, making him an incredibly simple fit under the salary cap. In the next three years, he is owed approximately $36 million, none of which is assured.
McCaffrey is the Panthers’ (1-5) 2nd talented offensive player to be bartered this week, following the firing of coach Matt Rhule on Oct. 10.
On Monday, the Carolina Panthers traded wide receiver Robbie Anderson to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for two future delayed draft picks.
The trade puts the Panthers offense, which is already depleted and largely inept, extremely thin at running back, with D’Onta Foreman as well as Chuba Hubbard expected to compete for the initial job and Raheem Blackshear potentially in the mix for additional work.
When healthy, McCaffrey, 26, is regarded as one of the league’s most versatile running backs due to his versatility as a runner, receiver, and blocker. He missed 23 games in the previous two seasons due to injuries, but he has played in the last two.
Since entering the league as the eighth overall pick in 2017, McCaffrey has accumulated 7,272 yards from scrimmage (3,980 rushing and 3,292 receiving) and 50 touchdowns.
McCaffrey had his best season in 2019, when he had 1,387 rushing yards and 1,005 yards receiving, becoming only the 3rd player in NFL history to do so. He also had 19 touchdowns and was named All-Pro that season.
McCaffrey’s father, Ed, won the Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers in 1994 and two more in Denver with Shanahan’s father, Mike, as his coach.
