Christian McCaffrey has agreed to a new four-year deal with the Panthers, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The deal, worth an eye-popping $16MM per year, will position CMC as the highest-paid running back in the history of the NFL.
McCaffrey and the Panthers have been discussing an extension for some time, even though the youngster was a long way from free agency. The new deal, worth $64MM over the course of four years, will keep McCaffrey in place for many seasons to come.
The Panthers have overhauled their team in recent months, bidding farewell to head coach Ron Rivera, tight end Greg Olsen, one-time MVP quarterback Cam Newton, and other longtime figures. McCaffrey, of course, remained as a building block of the team’s future.
In September, Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott broke the RB record with his six-year, $90MM extension. Now, CMC has beaten that $15MM AAV by a cool $1MM. More importantly, he landed his deal on a much shorter term. The Panthers standout will be eligible for free agency while still in his prime, setting him up for even greater riches on his next deal.
Because records are made to be broken – particularly when it comes to NFL contracts – McCaffrey might not hold the mantle for long either. Saints star Alvin Kamara also has youth and accolades on his side, and his camp will certainly have this deal on the radar when it comes time to talk.
McCaffrey won’t turn 24 until June and he already has a First-Team All-Pro selection on his resume. Even in a down year for Carolina, McCaffrey still managed 1,387 rushing yards off of 287 carries, giving him an average of 4.8 yards per tote. he also caught 116 passes for 1,005 yards through the air. All combined, he notched 19 touchdowns on the year.
As great as McCaffrey is, the Panthers’ offer did not come without some serious deliberation. Past market-setting deals for running backs have yielded some seriously mixed results. Todd Gurley, for example, was unable to stay healthy after inking his four-year, $60MM whopper with the Rams. The former Offensive Player of the Year was cut midway through his deal, leading him to a one-year pact with the Falcons earlier this year.
“Obviously, we’ve had internal discussions,” GM Marty Hurney said recently, perhaps understating the status of the talks. “Everybody knows what we think of Christian as a player. Other than that I can’t really say any more.”
Even with one year left of McCaffrey’s contract, plus a fifth-year option for 2021, the Panthers didn’t want to let him get anywhere near the open market. Even after two 1,000-yard campaigns and a total of 2,523 receiving yards over three seasons, the Panthers believe that the best is yet to come.
Another massive RB contract. Everybody thinks their guy is different.
If you have ever watched CMC play, it’s easy to see how much better he is than everyone else on the field. Panthers made a smart move locking him up
He’s a great player but nothing about this deal screams it’s smart.
Haha!
I live in Charlotte, I’ve seen it, he’s great. Gurley was unstoppable and was the guy to break the mold a few years ago. Or we can go to Jamaal Charles if you want a guy more similar to CMC. Broke down at age 28. It just happens.
CMC is built completely different than Jamal Charles!
Ahale couldn’t be more right and jawn has the classic response as if he truly is different. Cmc is great but doesn’t elevate the team. Had a top 3 season of all time and the team is picking top 10 I get Kyle Allen did him no favors but he’s not carrying a team to the playoffs himself. Don’t pay rbs
that’s like saying Mike Trout doesnt elevate the Angels because they have been middling at best when he’s been on the team. in few sports can one player carry their entire team. even a grest QB can only do so much.
Can’t compare the two sports. Individuals can’t carry a team in baseball but in football a great qb can win a team a super bowl. Look at how mahomes carried the chiefs with a nobody at rb meanwhile mccafrey with a nobody at qb couldn’t come close to doing the same
Mahomes leading the weaponless Chiefs to the Super Bowl is the dumbest take of the day, congrats
Didn’t say weaponless might want to work on reading comprehension. Never questioned the value of o line te or wr just said RB was worthless. Read before you type jawnie boy
king beas Wouldn’t say Mahomes ‘carried’ the Chiefs. Obviously they lose without him but there’s a pretty big difference between the team Mahomes has around him and the team CMC has. CMC is the Panthers only big weapon right now, Mahomes is far from the only true threat in his offense.
Chiefs are a more talented team than the panthers can’t say they aren’t but you don’t lose a game cause your rb and you can definitely lose a game cause your qb. And don’t say if you rb fumbles 3 times he can lose the game cause the amount of times a qb throws 3 int compared to a rb fumbling 3 times isn’t even close. Qbs value is out of this world compared to a rb
Wrong DJ Moore is going to be a stud! He was this past season. Just watch!
Exactly
Its all about the guaranteed money and how the contract is structured. Also it states extension so is that adding 4 years to the one he has or replacing or what? All of these factors change the formula one way or the other. And for the record im commenting 5 min after post so more details will be in article updates.
if anyone deserves big money as a RB its this guy. plenty young and no durability question marks.
How many other offensive players have been named all pro at 2 positions? He’s still young. This will be his last huge contract, if he makes it through this one injury free he will be lucky. It’s great to see his madden numbers but eventually tires start to wear down
He needs to move to slot wr and only rush the ball 10-12 times to save his legs
I agree, otherwise this will be his only big payday
If this backfires I don’t see another running back getting a big deal again. Cmc is the best rb in football but has shown he can’t carry a team seeing that the panthers still stink even though he’s putting up all time numbers. I’d tell a elite recruit high school running back switch to wr if you want to make the big bucks
Yeah he sucks on Defense, can’t play QB at all. I mean guy should be so much better with the talent around him
There’s more than a handful of running backs making less the 2 mil that aren’t significantly worse. Building a team doesn’t start at rb it starts everywhere else. You can find a 23 year old who can run for 1000 yards if you give him an o line it’s not a vital position. If you don’t waste money on a rb it’s a lot easier to have talent on defense or other positions
Rush for 1000 and recieving 1000 tho?
The team should worry about defense and qb first since rb is the easiest position to replace in the game. Even a reliable kicker is more difficult to find
He did carry the team! Can’t help it when you don’t have a defense and your backup throws 4 ints a game! They should of went to him more around the goal line.
I don’t think He is the best running back! I still think Berkeley has a better running game . Not by much but if we speaking truth than I feel it’s Berkeley . Trust me this is a guy who won back to back fantasy seasons with CMC
Giants have picked top 10 both years since they drafted barkley not Berkeley btw. Hasn’t come close to the impact even q Nelson has made for the colts
in part because Nelson’s job is much easier. its really hard to be a great RB and be the only good weapon on your team. Nelson really isnt as affected by other factors.
It’s not hard to be a great rb or else teams would lock them up. Rbs come and go and the good teams replace them once their rookie contract is over
Loser !! I know who he is and spell his name. It was a typo you spell captain! ! Move on !