Christian McCaffrey Becomes the Highest Paid Running Back in the NFL

The Carolina Pathers and Christian McCaffrey will sign a four-year extension worth $64 million, which will make the 23-year old the most expensive running back in the history of the NFL.

This has been major news, because McCaffrey presented one of the best, if not the best offensive player in the league during the previous season.

“I’m so excited to continue my career in Carolina. I want to thank Mr. Tepper, Marty Hurney, and Coach 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!” the youngster said.

Christian McCaffrey is signing a 4-year, $64M extension with the @Panthers. The move makes him the highest-paid RB in NFL history. (via multiple reports) pic.twitter.com/txnR51dO5a

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) April 13, 2020

He was entering the fourth year of his rookie deal, and with the new one, if everything goes well, McCaffrey will stay in Charlotte until 2025.

This is a clear signal that the Panthers are going to be his team. And truth to be told, the fantastic RB imposed himself as the leader and the unstoppable force for the rivals’ defenses, so the franchise took a logical step.

In the 2019 season, McCaffrey became only the third player in history to record 1,000 rushing and passing yards each. Two before him were Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk. He would collect 1,387 yards on the ground in 278 snaps, for 15 touchdowns, and 1,005 yards in 116 catches, for four scores.

If he had a little bit more of a help, the team would definitely end the season with more than 5 wins. However, numerous problems the franchise experienced prevented the Panthers from creating any decent result, and that forced the management to turn the new leaf and change many things. Among them, was the departure of Ron Rivera, and the hire of Matt Rhule.

The new head coach has nothing but kind words for his running back.

“He really builds to the culture you want to have within the building,” Rhule said. “We want to be a serious football place. We want to be a place that is all about the game. That’s who Christian McCaffrey is.”

The Panthers were already active on the market before today. Among others, they landed quarterback Terry Bridgewater for the next three years, paying the former Vikings and Saints player $63 million. Wide receiver Robby Anderson came from the New York Jets as an unrestricted free agent, inking a two-year $20 million deal. Sources are suggesting that after McCaffrey’s extension, the franchise will slowly turning towards the upcoming draft, where they have the 7th overall pick and bunch of other selections.

On the other side, they released the former MVP and the franchise face Cam Newton who had problems with injuries in the last two years. Super Cam’s figures dropped enormously, which is why Panthers decided to switch their strategy and to move away from the player who led them to the Super Bowl.

Rhule is determined to give a new look to the team. The starting and the essential piece in that puzzle is McCaffrey. The new head coach has a reputation for being thorough when working, and that was especially noticeable during his stints with the Temple Owls and Baylor Bears. Each time, he would gradually improve the team until exploding and making fantastic results.

McCaffrey’s signature is not the end of the Panthers’ activities on the market, that is for sure. The fans expect a lot from this rebuild, which is why Rhule and the management decided to act so aggressively right from the start.