Back before the trading deadline, there were rumors that the Panthers were shopping running back Christian McCaffrey.
Some of those rumors were just that, as Carolina never considered offering McCaffrey as part of a trade to acquire Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
The Panthers concluded their third five-win season in a row — and second under head coach Matt Rhule — on Sunday. General Manager Scott Fitterer told reporters on Monday that he talked with McCaffrey about those rumors, noting that the team isn’t actively shopping him.
“We sat there 30, 45 minutes and we addressed all those things,” Fitterer said. “I told him what was the truth and what was not the truth, and kind of everything that played out. I think there was a report back in November that we were actively trying to trade him and that was not true. What I did tell him, though, is hey, listen, as a G.M. I’ll take any call. Call and make any offer you want. That doesn’t mean we’re going to do it. That doesn’t mean we’re shopping you. I’ll listen.
“I look at Christian as a foundation piece of this team, one of those building blocks. We’re a better team when he’s on the field. He’s one of the elite players in the NFL. I would love for him to be here, but I will never not take a call. If somebody calls and offers something crazy, yeah, you would look at it. There’s no intentions right now of trading Christian McCaffrey.”
McCaffrey has played only 10 games in the last two seasons due to various injuries. In 2021, he recorded 785 yards from scrimmage on 136 touches with a pair of touchdowns. McCaffrey did not play after the Week 12 loss to Miami, but the club was 4-3 in games where he was on the field.
In 2019, McCaffrey became only the third player in league history to record 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season.