6 burning questions Carolina Panthers fans have ahead of Week 7

Christian McCaffrey’s usage and trade value

Was CMC the whole focus on offense to showcase his talents and demand a bigger trade value? – Len Redd

Thank you for your question, Len.

I don’t think the game plan for Christian McCaffrey this past weekend was to demand bigger trade value by giving him all of those touches. It sounds to me, and from what I’ve seen as well, that the Carolina Panthers could be looking for multiple first-round draft selections plus an additional player.

For any running back in today’s NFL, that’s a lot to ask for. McCaffrey is arguably the most gifted running back in the entire league which, in the eyes of general manager Scott Fitterer, would mean the former Stanford sensation is one of the best players overall.

As far as what the former Heisman Trophy finalist can do, that’s kind of true. McCaffrey has the best combination of vision, quickness, footwork, and passing-down skills of any player at his position. The only problem with that is he plays at a devalued spot.

Fifteen to 20 years ago, trading a couple of early-round draft selections and a player to acquire someone like Adrian Peterson would make sense. Today? Not so much, especially with the short lifespan running backs have in this era of football.

It’s more likely than not that McCaffrey doesn’t get traded during the season. In the offseason? that could be a different story.

I have a hard time imagining a team giving up that much in assets for a less-valued position.