4 former Panthers with legitimate shot at Super Bowl glory in 2022

Christian McCaffrey – Former Carolina Panthers RB

With the Carolina Panthers going nowhere fast over the early part of 2022, drastic action was needed. And in a weird way, the San Francisco 49ers were at the heart of almost every key development.

Team owner David Tepper fired beleaguered head coach Matt Rhule after a heavy loss to the Niners in Week 5. As the Panthers began planning for the future, they traded Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco before the deadline for multiple draft picks after weeks of speculation.

The running back was Carolina’s best weapon by a considerable margin and a huge part of their plans. Adding him to Kyle Shanahan’s expansive scheme brought endless possibilities and it didn’t take long for the former first-round pick to excel in a different environment.

McCaffrey’s adjustment was extraordinary. More importantly, the running back stayed healthy for the entire season for the first time since 2019.

The one-time Stanford standout gained 1,880 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns this season. McCaffrey also gets the chance to lead San Francisco on a potential Super Bowl run despite having draft afterthought Brock Purdy under center.

Trading McCaffrey was disappointing, although probably necessary for the Panthers. But their compensation for the NFL’s most prolific dual-threat backfield presence might not look that great depending on how the Niners perform in the coming weeks.