Tag: Christian McCaffrey
Christian McCaffrey ‘forever grateful’ to Panthers after trade
All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey made sure to show his appreciation to where he’s been on Friday before making the trek to his new NFL home.
Shortly after news broke late Thursday night that Carolina traded McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers, the 26-year-old took to social media to offer a farewell statement to the Panthers.
“I’m forever grateful for all of the people who have helped make these past 5 1/2 years so special for me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” McCaffrey wrote on Twitter. “Carolina, I will always love you.”
The Panthers also showed their appreciation for McCaffrey, first over social media as well as via a statement from Panthers owner David Tepper on Friday.
“Christian’s focus and commitment to the game are rare,” Tepper said. “He is humble, takes nothing for granted, works extremely hard and has earned everything he has accomplished. I’m grateful for his contributions to the Panthers and wish him the best as he moves forward with his career.”
McCaffrey, a former Stanford star, heads west to the 49ers in exchange for three 2023 draft picks (second, third and fourth round) and a fifth-rounder in 2024.
McCaffrey established himself as one of the top offensive weapons in the NFL upon entering the league as the eighth overall pick in 2017. His best season came in 2019, when he eclipsed 1,000 yards both rushing and receiving and totaled 19 touchdowns.
Injuries have hampered him since, however, as he played in 16 of his team’s 39 games since the start of the 2020 season. He has 393 yards on 85 carries and 277 yards on 33 receptions with three total scores thus far in 2022.
The Panthers (1-5) appear to be in a full-blown rebuild at this point, having traded receiver Robbie Anderson to Arizona earlier this week. Anderson was sent to the locker room during Carolina’s 24-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday following arguments with coaches on the sideline.
Carolina fired head coach Matt Rhule earlier this month.
Despite his team’s troubles, Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer dismissed the notion moving McCaffrey was a conscious decision toward tanking the season as a means for a better draft pick in 2023.
No,” Fitterer said. “I think what we had to figure in was what’s best for the organization, like I was saying. Our focus is still on going out and competing every weekend. We expect to win. That was Coach’s (Steve Wilks’) mindset this weekend. The NFL is a business where you lose guys — whether it’s injuries, trades, whatever happens. The expectation of winning never changes. Those guys in the locker room fight too hard. They work too hard every day. So, we owe it to them. That’s our expectation as an organization is to go out and win every game.”
The Panthers host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3) on Sunday.
–Field Level Media
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey questionable vs. Cardinals
Carolina Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey returned to practice on Friday and is listed as questionable to play in this weekend’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
McCaffrey was a limited participant in practice on Friday after missing the previous two days with a thigh injury.
Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said he was “very hopeful” that McCaffrey would be able to play on Sunday.
McCaffrey, 26, is coming off his second consecutive 100-yard performance last Sunday after he finished with 108 in Carolina’s 22-14 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
McCaffrey is fifth in the NFL in rushing yards with 243. He also has 10 catches for 57 yards through three games.
Chuba Hubbard and D’Onta Foreman likely would split carries should McCaffrey sit out Sunday’s game against the visiting Cardinals (1-2). Hubbard has rushed four times for 28 yards this season for the Panthers (1-2), while Foreman has four carries for 14 yards.
Wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. (hamstring), defensive end Marquis Haynes Sr. (knee) and cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver III (Achilles) are listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. The three players were limited participants in Friday’s practice.
–Field Level Media
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey (thigh) misses practice
Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey was held out of practice Wednesday with a thigh injury.
McCaffrey is coming off his second consecutive 100-yard rushing game. He landed on the injury report last week with an ankle issue.
Panthers wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. (hamstring) and tight end Ian Thomas (ankle) were listed as limited Wednesday, the first practice ahead of Week 4. Safety Xavier Woods (hamstring) and cornerbacks Jaycee Horn (calf) and Stantley Thomas-Oliver III (Achilles) were also limited.
McCaffrey, 26, is fifth in the NFL in rushing yards with 243. He also has 10 catches for 57 yards through three games. He rushed for 108 yards in Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints.
McCaffrey played in just 10 of a possible 33 games over the past two seasons due to ankle and shoulder issues.
–Field Level Media
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey (ankle) limited in practice
Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey was limited in practice Thursday by an ailing ankle but is expected to play Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
McCaffrey took his scheduled day off on Wednesday, and on Thursday, his ankle was stiff. He didn’t show signs of discomfort, per the team website.
McCaffrey, 26, played in just 10 of a possible 33 games over the past two seasons due to ankle and shoulder injuries. But he is dangerous when healthy and has gained 3,722 rushing yards and 3,065 receiving yards with 31 rushing touchdowns and 17 receiving scores in 60 games (54 starts) over five-plus NFL seasons.
Last Sunday, in a loss to the New York Giants, McCaffrey ran for 102 yards — his first 100-yard rushing game since 2019, when he was an All-Pro.
Cornerback Donte Jackson (hamstring) also limited was limited in practice Thursday for the second straight day.
Linebacker Frankie Luvu (shoulder) and cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver III (Achilles) were listed as limited participants in Thursday’s practice after having no designation on Wednesday.
–Field Level Media
Panthers add RB Christian McCaffrey (shin) to injury report
The Carolina Panthers listed star running back Christian McCaffrey on their injury report Thursday afternoon as a full participant despite a shin injury.
But in his daily press conference, coach Matt Rhule said McCaffrey received a cut on his shin from someone’s cleat during practice. Rhule said McCaffrey finished practice and was feeling “fine.”
It’s unlikely to keep the injury-prone back from playing in Sunday’s season opener against the Cleveland Browns.
McCaffrey, 26, has played in just 10 of a possible 33 games over the past two seasons. A high ankle sprain caused him to miss an early portion of the 2020 season, and in the game he returned, he suffered a shoulder injury that ended his season.
Then last year, McCaffrey missed 10 games due to hamstring and ankle injuries.
In 58 games (52 starts) over five NFL seasons, McCaffrey has gained 3,587 rushing yards and 3,015 receiving yards with 30 rushing touchdowns and 17 receiving scores. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2019 and received a four-year, $64 million contract extension before the 2020 season.
–Field Level Media
Henry, Cook, McCaffrey 2022 RB Props
Henry favored as Comeback Player of the Year
Panthers: Christian McCaffrey unlikely to play in preseason
Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey likely won’t play in any preseason games to try to keep him healthy for the 2022 season, coach Matt Rhule said Tuesday.
The Panthers are seeking to find the magic again with McCaffrey, who has been riddled with injuries since his All-Pro season of 2019.
He didn’t play in the preseason in 2021, either, and Rhule said the team is going to have to come up with a wise approach for McCaffrey for the whole season.
“I would hold him out of all the preseason games again,” Rhule said following Tuesday’s voluntary organized team activities. “I think he’s had enough hits on his body. But I think, just as we move forward, we’re gonna have a little bit of a different strategy practice-wise with him.”
McCaffrey played 91 percent of the team’s offensive snaps in 2018.
In 2019, McCaffrey played 93 percent of the Panthers’ offensive snaps and led the NFL with 2,392 yards from scrimmage. Of them, 1,387 were rushing yards, and he ran for 15 touchdowns.
He added 116 catches for 1,005 yards and four touchdowns.
After that season, McCaffrey signed a four-year, $64 million contract extension. And because of a variety of injuries, he’s played in just 10 of 33 games over two seasons, totaling 1,159 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns.
McCaffrey, who turns 26 next month, said Tuesday that he has sought the advice of Marshall Faulk, one of only three players — Roger Craig the other — to tally at least 1,000 receiving and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season.
“Just listening to what he had to say and the different things that he did in the offseason at different points,” McCaffrey said of his conversations with Faulk. “Injuries or not, sometimes you have to change your offseason and your approach.”
–Field Level Media
Reports: Panthers receiving trade calls about Christian McCaffrey
The Carolina Panthers have fielded calls from multiple teams inquiring about the availability of star running back Christian McCaffrey, CBS Sports and ESPN reported.
The Panthers were not actively shopping McCaffrey, but they told teams they would want a first-round draft pick and a player in return, per the reports.
Carolina selected McCaffrey with the eighth overall pick in the 2017 draft and rewarded him with a four-year, $64 million contract extension in April 2020.
But injuries slowed down the dynamic offensive weapon ever since signing that extension. McCaffrey ended each of the past two seasons on injured reserve and played in just 10 total games due to ankle, shoulder and hamstring injuries in the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
In five seasons with the Panthers, McCaffrey has played 58 games (52 starts), ran for 3,587 yards and 30 touchdowns and caught 357 passes for 3,015 yards and 17 more touchdowns. He was an All-Pro selection and placed third in voting for Offensive Player of the Year in 2019, when he led the NFL with 2,392 yards from scrimmage and 19 total touchdowns.
–Field Level Media