NFL Trade Rumors: Insider claims Bills reached out to Panthers for Christian McCaffrey
It looks like the Buffalo Bills were interested in acquiring All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey.
According to Adam Caplan, the Bills reached out to the Carolina Panthers about Christian McCaffrey and were told he was not available for a trade.
Adam @caplannfl just mentioned that the Bills reached out to Carolina about Christian McCaffrey... and were told he was not available. twitter.com/FantasyPts/sta…
If a trade had gone through where the Bills would have acquired McCaffrey, the team would have had one of the deadliest offenses in the league.
The trio of Josh Allen, Christian McCaffrey, and Stefon Diggs (not to mention they have Dawson Knox and Gabriel Davis) would have been the best in the league. They'd be a near unstoppable team running and throwing the ball.
While the Bills couldn't land McCaffrey via trade, they ended up drafting a running back in the second-round of the 2022 NFL draft.
They drafted James Cook out of Georgia with the number 63 overall pick who is the younger brother of Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook. They could still inquire about a veteran running back even after drafting Cook.
: 2022 #NFLDraft on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
With the No. 63 overall pick in the 2022 @NFLDraft, the @BuffaloBills select RB James Cook!
📺: 2022 #NFLDraft on NFLN/ESPN/ABC https://t.co/Oef9UD1NeG
Heading into the 2022 season, the Bills running backs consist of Devin Singletary, James Cook, Zack Moss, and Duke Johnson.
Christian McCaffrey signed a massive four-year, $64 million contract with the Carolina Panthers in 2020
When McCaffrey was drafted number eight overall in the 2017 NFL draft, he had high expectations coming into the league. It's rare to see a running back drafted in the first-round in this day and age. So, when it does happen, the bar is set to the highest for those individuals.
On April 16, 2020, McCaffrey signed a four-year, $64 million contract extension with the Panthers for the 2025 season, making him the highest-paid running back in NFL history.
Christian McCaffrey's 4 yr, $64M #Panthers extension:
• $30M guaranteed at signing
• Another $8.1M locked in next March
• $22M in 2020 ($7.8M cap)
• Potential Out: 3 years, $39M
Breakdown: spotrac.com/nfl/carolina-p… https://t.co/yKuYwxJk3k
As a rookie, McCaffrey made an immediate impact. He finished his rookie season with 435 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, 80 receptions, 651 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns.
In his second season in the league, he finished with 1,098 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, 107 receptions, 867 receiving yards, and six receiving touchdowns.
McCaffrey finished the 2019 season with 1,387 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns to go along with 116 receptions for 1,005 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. This set him up for his big contract extension he received heading into the 2020 season.
Unfortunately for McCaffrey and the Panthers, he's only played 10 games in the last two seasons due to injuries.