5 teams that could trade for Christian McCaffrey in 2022
By Dean Jones
Which teams could become potential trade destinations for Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey during the 2022 offseason?
Not having Christian McCaffrey for 10 games this season was a critical blow for the Carolina Panthers. One that exposed just how deficient this offense is without their All-Pro running back generating significant yards as a dual-threat weapon.
This seems to be a concerning trend for McCaffrey, who turned out just three times in 2020. With the player now deemed unreliable to stay healthy for a consistent period of time, the sooner Carolina finds a way to function properly without the former first-round pick, the better their chances of success will be in 2022.
Joe Person of The Athletic recently stated that the Panthers would listen to trade offers for McCaffrey this offseason. A huge call to make considering how important the Stanford product is when fit and firing on all cylinders.
Whether another organization would take on his contract is another matter. But here are five teams that might show interest in the coming months.
Team No. 1
Las Vegas Raiders could trade for Christian McCaffrey
The Las Vegas Raiders haven’t had much consistency from Josh Jacobs or Kenyan Drake this season. Although the team deserves credit for overcoming some significant adversity throughout the 2021 season.
Las Vegas is projected to have $39.1 million in salary-cap space in 2022 before sacrifices are made elsewhere. So they have the capacity to absorb McCaffrey’s contract if there is any interest in acquiring the running back.
This would be a marquee move from the Raiders – one that’s in keeping with how Al Davis approached recruitment over the years. McCaffrey would also ease the burden on Derek Carr and perhaps even take the quarterback’s game to new heights.