4 Carolina Panthers contracts that must be restructured this offseason

Christian McCaffrey – Carolina Panthers RB

• 2022 cap hit – $14.3 million

For all the talk of Christian McCaffrey potentially being traded this offseason, it would be extremely difficult for the Carolina Panthers to get suitable compensation for the player after two years of significant injury struggles. Couple this with his lucrative new contract formally kicking in next time around and it’s not hard to see why he’ll still be on the books.

That’s not a bad thing by any stretch. But the time has now come for a different approach where McCaffrey is concerned after the All-Pro appeared just seven times in 2021.

Getting McCaffrey more assistance and alleviating some of the responsibility from his shoulders is the only way to go right now. And with a cap hit of $14.3 million next season, it might be worth the Panthers and the player sitting down to restructure his deal for the second consecutive offseason.

McCaffrey knows exactly what’s at stake next year. Another frustrating campaign on the health front is sure to cast even more doubts on the decision to hand him a long-term extension and would give Carolina a big decision regarding removing him from the equation entirely.

Keeping McCaffrey fresh and firing on all cylinders is the only way to turn this situation around. The more money gets freed up, the better Carolina’s chances are of finding the right players to make his life easier.