The Panthers have officially signed running back Christian McCaffrey to a four-year extension that will keep him in Carolina through the 2025 season. The new deal makes McCaffrey the highest-paid running back in the history of the NFL.
We now have some more details about the structure of McCaffrey’s contract. According to Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk, the extension includes about $30 million in guarantees, including a $21.5 million signing bonus. Here is a breakdown of the numbers in each year according to Over the Cap.
We are happy for McCaffrey, who is undoubtedly the best running back in the league right now and deserves to be paid like it.
That being said, six years in the NFL is an eternity – especially at the running back position. While he is a special athlete, the chances that McCaffrey will still be playing at the same high level he did in 2019 in a few seasons are slim, even if he’s not still averaging 400+ touches a year.
If the Panthers were truly committed to analytics the way team owner David Tepper says, they probably would have extended right tackle Taylor Moton or wide receiver Curtis Samuel first. At the very least, they could have picked up McCaffrey’s fifth-year option and kicked the can down the road another two years. Now, they’re locked in and committed.
