Let's Set Odds for an Offseason Christian McCaffrey Trade

The Carolina Panthers star running back, Christian McCaffrey, isn’t exactly on the trading block as of now. But that hasn’t stopped teams from inquiring about the potential Hall-of-Famer. McCaffrey is just two years into his record-breaking contract but has suffered through a myriad of injuries in recent seasons. In fact, he’s played just 10 out of a possible 33 games since signing his $64 million contract. 

 But none of this has stopped numerous teams from kicking the tires and trying to make a deal. It makes sense why. McCaffrey is the type of player that can make a good team great and turn a contender into a Super Bowl favorite. When he’s healthy, he is one of the best in the game. But, it's a big gamble to pay what the Panthers are asking for him considering his history. According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Panthers are asking for a first-round pick and another piece of quality compensation for them to consider trading McCaffrey.

While he is versatile, If I were the Panthers I would try to unload that contract ASAP. Before he injures himself again. Carolina is also in need of draft picks as they attempt to rebuild a crumbling roster. 2022 is very deep with second-round talent and the Panthers have zero picks on day two of the draft. One went to the Jets for Sam Darnold and the other to the Jaguars for C.J. Henderson. This creates a situation where the Panthers could use their No, 6 overall picks, and one from a potential trade, to get the talent needed to make this team competitive next year. 

The price from the Panthers and the massive contract McCaffrey has to make finding a suitor harder. But there are several teams that fit the bill. While there are no odds out yet for this prop at WynnBET, I wanted to make my own predictions on a couple of potential landing spots for CMC. 

Washington Commanders +200

First and foremost, I want to thank this franchise for picking an actual name to use for the upcoming season. The next order of business for this team is to put together a winning team for a change. McCaffrey is the type of player that can take this team and put them into the NFC East title race and possibly a run at the Super Bowl. The team is coached by Ron Rivera, who drafted McCaffrey and coached him for years. The Commanders' executive VP of player personnel, Mary Hurney, was also a part of the Panthers when they drafted CMC. While Washington’s run game isn't bad, McCaffrey would be a huge upgrade to this defensive-minded team. 

Buffalo Bills +350

This may seem a bit of an odd choice considering the Bill had a top 10 rushing attack last year. But, a lot of those stats were from Josh Allen and that is no way to keep a QB healthy long term. When you are constantly crashing into people, things break. Just ask McCaffrey. The Bulls are set up to win now but need one more piece to put them over the edge. I think McCaffrey could be that missing bit of electricity that brings everything together.