NFL Rumors: Panthers Want 'a Lot' in Christian McCaffrey Trade Before Deadline

The Carolina Panthers reportedly want significant compensation in exchange for star running back Christian McCaffrey ahead of the Nov. 1 trade deadline.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, a high-ranking person in player personnel in the AFC said the Panthers are asking for "a lot," perhaps as much as a first-round pick and more.

The 1-5 Panthers have already shown a willingness to deal, sending wide receiver Robbie Anderson to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday for a 2024 sixth-round pick and 2025 seventh-round pick.

ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported Saturday that the Panthers were listening to offers on McCaffrey, although he noted that Carolina had turned down at least two offers and were searching for "significant" packages.

Schefter indicated that the Panthers want either a high draft pick or multiple draft picks in exchange for arguably their best player.

When healthy, McCaffrey is an elite running back capable of burning teams as a runner and a pass-catcher, and he has been one of the few bright spots for the Panthers this season.

Coming off playing in only 10 games combined in 2020 and 2021 because of injuries, McCaffrey has appeared in all six games this season, rushing for 393 yards and two touchdowns on 85 carries while also catching 33 passes for 277 yards and a score.

Poor quarterback play from Baker Mayfield and P.J. Walker has been the Panthers' undoing, though, plus they made a coaching change by firing Matt Rhule.

When the 26-year-old McCaffrey is at his best, he can be a transcendent player, which is precisely what he was in 2019.

McCaffrey enjoyed one of the most dominant seasons by a running back in NFL history that year, rushing for 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns, along with catching 116 passes for 1,005 yards and four touchdowns.

He led the NFL in touches, total yards from scrimmage and total touchdowns that season. However, he has struggled to stay healthy since then.

McCaffrey was the No. 8 overall pick out of Stanford in the 2017 NFL draft, but it has become exceedingly rare for teams to spend first-round picks on running backs now unless they are late first-rounders.

If the Panthers are only willing to part with McCaffrey for a late first-round pick, they may have to focus their discussions on contenders who are looking for the last piece for their run.

Per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos are among the teams that have shown interest in McCaffrey thus far.

The Bills are the Super Bowl favorites, the Rams won it all last year and the 49ers went to the NFC Championship Game. Meanwhile, the Broncos are off to a disappointing 2-4 start despite the acquisition of quarterback Russell Wilson.

Since McCaffrey only has a base salary of $1.035 million this season, he would be an easy player to fit under the salary cap for any team, although it increases to $11.8 million next season and he is under contract through 2025.

There would be a great deal of risk involved with trading a first-rounder for a running back, especially one with an injury history like McCaffrey's, but there is no question he could be a game-changer for any team that decides to acquire him.