Carolina Panthers listening to trade offers for RB Christian McCaffrey, per report

The Carolina Panthers are ready to listen to trade offers for superstar running back Christian McCaffrey, according to a report from David Newton of ESPN.

The Panthers aren’t actively seeking a trade partner for the former all-pro running back, but they have been contacted by multiple teams and have been open to the possibility of moving McCaffrey. Carolina is seeking at least a first-round pick and an additional player with a low salary cap hit, according to the report.

McCaffrey has been one of the most incredible running backs of his generation when he’s able to stay on the field. In 2019 he had over 1,000 yards on the ground and another 1,000 receiving, making him just the third running back in NFL history to accomplish that feat.

But he hasn’t been able to stay on the field very often. The injury-riddled star has played in just 10 games since the end of that 2019 campaign, including just three in 2021. He missed significant time in 2020 because of an ankle injury and was held out the vast majority of 2021 with a hamstring issue, though he’s on track to be back at full health once training camp kicks off.

The Stanford product is the highest-paid running back in NFL history, earning about $16 million each season after getting a contract extension after the 2020 season. That comes with a steep salary cap hit, slated to be over $14 million this season, which is over half the available space the organization has on the cap at just $26.5 million.