Carolina Panthers’ “internal discussions” about signing Pro Bowl running back Christian McCaffrey to an extension have turned to action. According to ESPN, Panthers are giving McCaffrey a new deal that will make him the NFL’s highest-paid running back.
McCaffrey reportedly signed a four-year extension, which has a fifth-year option. The deal comes with an average yearly salary of $16 million per year and tops the contract Dallas Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott signed last season that nets him $15 million per year.
Considering that McCaffrey has two more years left on his rookie deal, he is now tied to the Panthers franchise, possibly for the next seven seasons. And it appears that is exactly what he wants.
“I’m so excited to continue my career in Carolina,” McCaffrey told ESPN. “I want to thank Mr. [David] Tepper, Marty Hurney, and Coach [Matt] Rhule for the opportunity to help lead this great franchise, and to all my teammates for their help along the way. And to Panthers fans, KEEP POUNDING!”
Carolina’s general manager Marty Hurney told reporters last week that the organization already had “internal discussions” about giving Christian McCaffrey a new deal. And while no one expected that the deal will come this soon, it appears Panthers didn’t want to risk agitating their best player and decided to get the job done as soon as possible.
McCaffrey had a Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro-worthy season in 2019 when he became just the third player in NFL history to have 1,000+ yards rushing and 1,000+ yards receiving. He finished the year with 1,387 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns alongside 116 receptions, 1,005 receiving yards, and four TDs.
