Christian McCaffrey Never Thought About Leaving Carolina

Christian McCaffrey got paid this spring signing a 4-year contract worth $64 million contract. There’s been a lot of change in Carolina. Luke Kuechly retired, Matt Rhule is the new head coach, and Teddy Bridgewater is the new QB. It’s safe to say that McCaffrey is the face of the franchise. The Panthers made sure to lock him up this Spring. If you ask McCaffrey, he made it a priority to stick around.

“I never focused on signing somewhere else. It never occurred to me,” McCaffrey said during a video conference call Monday, via Steve Reed of the Associated Press. “I want to be in Carolina for my whole career. . . . I bought a place in Charlotte. I love the Carolinas more than anything in the world. It is somewhere I would like to call home forever.”

“There is change that goes on in the NFL all of the time,” McCaffrey said. “You look around the league and see what’s happening. You look at some of the great players of all time and the teams they have gone to. You can stay close friends with people and build great relationships, but if you stay attached it’s tough, because it a revolving door. It’s such a business.”

Paying running backs might be risky business, but McCaffrey is a different breed. He’s only the third player in NFL history to have over 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season. He’s coming off a season with 287 carries and 116 receptions. It’s not crazy to say that he’s one of the most valuable running backs ever. Who is doing what Christian McCaffrey is in the rushing and receiving game? Carolina hasn’t had a reliable QB, WR, or backup running back either. The former first round pick from Stanford is the entire offense.