For Christian McCaffrey and the Carolina Panthers, it never seemed real. Almost none of it.
When Cecil Lammey reported the organization’s first hint of interest in the Stanford University prospect nearly three months before the 2017 draft, it didn’t seem real. Were the Panthers really looking to take a running back with the eighth overall pick?
When that eighth overall pick would go on to rush for 1,000 yards and reel in 1,000 more two years later, it didn’t seem real. How could this 5-foot-11, 205-pounder last through the grind of a 17-game season and a fractured offense to achieve such a rare feat?
When that 5-foot-11, 205-pounder didn’t last, it didn’t seem real. Why did such a physical specimen who was so aware of his health keep succumbing to injury, missing 23 of a possible 33 games between 2020 and 2021?
Then, even on Thursday night, when the Panthers traded McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers in a blockbuster deal, it didn’t seem real. Is the best player in the building actually gone? Just like that?
Well, yes. He’s gone. Just like that.
But although this may sting for the time being—for the players, for the fans and for the on-field product—it was a necessary evil.
McCaffrey had been more than just a running back to this franchise and to their offense. He was the offense.
Through the post-Cam Newton era—with the likes of Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke, Will Grier, Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Darnold, PJ Walker, a post-Cam Newton era Cam Newton and Baker Mayfield under center—the do-it-all star did it all. From wrecking opposing defenses out of the backfield, through the air and in their game plans, McCaffrey provided Carolina with a unique trump card.
He even proved that in his very last game as a Panther—where he recorded 158 of the team’s 203-yard output in last Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams. (Dude actually accounted for over 75 percent of what that offense mustered up.)
So, perhaps this was a fitting end as much as it was a necessary one.
In return for McCaffrey comes a package of draft capital that no one could have anticipated. Maybe it wasn’t the first-round ammunition Carolina was reportedly looking for, but it’s still quite a bit.
The Panthers now have the 49ers’ second, third and fourth-rounders for 2023 and their fifth for 2024. Those assets help fill the voids left behind by mistakes from the Matt Rhule reign—follies that poked holes in future draft boards for the sake of underwhelming quarterback projects.
These newfound resources will also help owner David Tepper woo his next head coach. With a healthy slate of selections this spring, including what’ll be a very high first-rounder and two seconds, whoever is leading this team in a few months will have an appealing canvas to work with.
Not to mention, the Panthers already have some young and promising players locked up (or in a position to be locked up) at key spots. Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, wide receiver DJ Moore, defensive end Brian Burns, defensive tackle Derrick Brown, cornerback Jaycee Horn and safety Jeremy Chinn ain’t a bad core to begin with.
And lastly, the move away from McCaffrey represents the most essential investment of all—a move towards the clearest shot at a franchise quarterback. What better way to secure the league’s worst record and April’s No.1 overall pick than eliminating your most valuable player from the equation?
As for the legacy of that player, McCaffrey always gave the Panthers everything he could. Even though he was hardly on the field for the tail end of his stay—he gave them his heart, his mind and his body, and he gave it at all times.
Now, albeit by way of sacrifice, he’s given them a much needed push into a new start—and that’s as real as it gets.
