The San Francisco 49ers have instantly elevated their offense, particularly in the running game, after the officially completed a trade with the Carolina Panthers for superstar running back Christian McCaffrey.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Niners are sending second-, third- and fourth-round picks in 2023 and a fifth-round pick in 2024 to Carolina in exchange for the star running back, in a deal completed on Thursday night.
McCaffrey is one of the best dual threats in the league when healthy, but staying on the field has been an issues in recent seasons.
Back in 2019, McCaffrey became only the third player in NFL history to have 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season. The long-time Panther issued the following on his Twitter page when the deal was announced.
“I’m forever grateful for all of the people who have helped make these past 5 1/2 years so special for me,” McCaffrey wrote. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Carolina, I will always love you.”
McCaffrey, 26, has a base salary of $1,035,000 in 2022 after his contract was restructured in December 2021.