SUPER BOWL 2024
What did the Panthers get back from the 49ers in the Christian McCaffrey trade?
In October 2022 the record-breaking running back signed for the San Francisco 49ers in a blockbuster deal.
Christian McCaffrey has been a key part of the San Francisco 49ers’ journey to the Super Bowl this season. The running back equalled the NFL record for most games with a touchdown (17) and finished the NFC Championship Game with an impressive 20 carries and two touchdowns.
His move from the Carolina Panthers in October 2022 was transformative for the 49ers and they improved almost overnight. Before his arrival they had a record of 3-3, but McCaffrey led them to a 12-game winning streak and took them to the NFC Championship Game in his first season.
“It’s just what we expected and he’s only exceeded all of our expectations,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said. “He’s just a fantastic football player.”
49ers gave up four draft picks for McCaffrey
The Panthers drafted McCaffrey, often known as CMC, as the eighth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He starred in Carolina for five years but in 2022, with the team needing extensive reinforcements, general manager Scott Fitterer agreed to let go of one of their key offensive pieces.
Fitterer struck a deal with the 49ers that saw them gain second, third and fourth-round picks in 2023 and a fifth-round pick in 2024. The Panthers did not receive any players in a direct trade.
That decision has not yet proved fruitful for Carolina. In January 2023 Frank Reich was hired as head coach but his tenure did not eaven last the year, in November he was fired after a 1-10 start.
He has been replaced by former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales, who signed a six-year deal last month. He has been brought in to help coax the best from quarterback Bryce Young, the 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick. He was supposed to be a part of the franchise reboot that followed the loss of McCaffrey but they are yet to see the best of the young star in Carolina.