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The Carolina Panthers have reportedly traded former All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers, sources with knowledge of the deal confirmed to ESPN's Adam Schefter late Thursday (October 20) night.
The Panthers will receive "second-, third- and fourth-round picks in 2023 and a fifth-round pick in 2024" as part of the deal, sources told Schefter.
The Panthers later confirmed the deal on their official website.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports the 49ers will owe McCaffrey "just $690,000 for the remainder of the 2022 season" and he'll be "on the books for $12 million in 2023, $12 million in 2024 and $12.2 million in 2025, with just $1 million guaranteed for injury" as part of his current deal initially signed with Carolina.
McCaffrey was selected by the Panthers at No. 8 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft and found quick success in Carolina, recording more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage during each of his first two seasons, which included rushing for 1,098 rushing yards in 2018 and a career best 1,387 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in 2019, having also caught a career best 116 passes for 1,005 yards and four additional touchdowns.
But McCaffrey has been limited to a combined 10 games during the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to injuries and was reported to be shopped around as the Panthers struggled to a 1-5 start in 2021.
The move to the 49ers returns McCaffrey to the Bay Area, where he enjoyed a decorated collegiate career at Stanford University.
McCaffrey was a Heisman Trophy runner-up to Derrick Henry in 2015, as well as the Paul Hornung Award winner, a consensus All-American, Associated Press College Football Player of the Year and Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, having also earned his first of two consecutive first-team All-Pac-12 honors during his sophomore season.
The move also unites McCaffrey with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, whose father, Mike Shanahan, coached Christian’s father, former wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, during their shared tenures with the Denver Broncos.
Earlier this week, the Panthers traded wide receiver Robbie Anderson to the Arizona Cardinals.
The trade came hours after Anderson was involved in a shouting match with wide receivers coach Joe Dailey on the sidelines during the Panthers' 24-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday (October 16) and was kicked out of the game by interim head coach Steve Wilks.