Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers looks on before a game against Arizona in November. McCaffrey will face his old team, the Carolina Panthers, for the first time Monday night since the 2022 trade that sent him from Charlotte to San Francisco. Mike Christy Getty Images
The Carolina Panthers traded their star running back Christian McCaffrey away a little more than three years ago.
McCaffrey has done a lot with the San Francisco 49ers since, but he has never played against his old team. That will change soon on “Monday Night Football,” when the 49ers (7-4) host Carolina (6-5) in the Panthers’ highest-profile game of the 2025 season.
At the request of the reporters who cover the Panthers, McCaffrey held a conference call beamed into the Panther pressroom on Thursday afternoon. He was more forthcoming than he usually was in interviews while he was with Carolina, particularly about the week of the big trade in October 2022 and what the “bittersweet” move has meant for his career.
McCaffrey said he still had one significant regret about the trade. The news broke on a Thursday night, and after that McCaffrey was in hurry-up mode trying to get to San Francisco and play that weekend (which he would).
“One of the things that makes me sad looking back — I couldn’t say bye to any of my teammates,” McCaffrey said. “.... I wish I could have just said bye to them. But I was on a flight at 7 a.m. on Friday, so it was a quick turnaround.”
Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey walks off the field after a series against the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. The 49ers defeated the Panthers 37-15 and traded for McCaffrey less than two weeks later. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
From an objective standpoint, the move worked out beautifully for McCaffrey. He went from a team that has mostly been an NFC doormat for the past eight years — the Panthers’ last playoff berth came in 2017 — to a team that has been a perennial NFC contender. McCaffrey has flourished with the 49ers and this season, at age 29, leads the NFL in scrimmage yards. He was also the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 with San Francisco and has already played in six playoff games with the 49ers, compared to just one with Carolina (although he has never won a Super Bowl, which he says remains his biggest goal).
McCaffrey harbors fond memories of Charlotte and the Carolinas. He noted that he still owns a house in the Charlotte area and keeps up with a number of former teammates, including running back Chuba Hubbard, offensive tackle Taylor Moton and long snapper J.J. Jansen.
Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (left) and then-head coach Matt Rhule smile after the team’s 19-14 victory over the New York Jets at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021. Jeff Siner jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
“Getting traded to San Francisco has opened my eyes to so much,” he said. “It was a massive blessing… But it was also a bittersweet moment for me at the time. I loved Charlotte. I loved Carolina… I loved my teammates. I was a captain on that team. And so it’s weird when you get traded in the middle of the year. But when I look back on my journey and what’s transpired since then, I can’t help but look back and just be so grateful for the opportunity to come to San Fran and also call this place home.”
To review the trade for a moment:
The Panthers were 1-5 when they made /the trade in 2022. Owner David Tepper had already fired head coach Matt Rhule. Interim coach Steve Wilks was about 10 days into his new job, but had no say in the McCaffrey trade.
Now the New York Jets defensive coordinator, Wilks made his feelings clear about that trade earlier this year, telling reporters: “I don’t think an interim coach has much say over personnel. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have gotten rid of our best player, Christian McCaffrey.’’
Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (22) is tackled by four New Orleans Saints during a game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022. Because so much of the Panthers’ offense was centered around McCaffrey, he often faced defenses primed to stop him. Alex Slitz alslitz@charlotteobserver.com
What did the Panthers get in the McCaffrey trade?
Not enough, in retrospect. Picks in the second, third, fourth and fifth round from the 49ers (although, notably, not a first-round pick). Some of those were cobbled together in another deal that ended up letting the Panthers move up eight spots, to the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, where they selected current quarterback Bryce Young.
But Carolina has been a losing team since McCaffrey departed, and only this year has had a real chance to have a winning record.
To be fair, the last two of McCaffrey’s five full seasons with the Panthers were destroyed by injuries. Due to four separate injuries, McCaffrey missed 23 of a possible 33 games in the 2020 and 2021 seasons for Carolina.
The 49ers bet that he would stay healthy for them — and that is never a sure bet, especially at the running back position. But McCaffrey largely has been able to stay on the field, with the exception of the 2024 season. He’s one of the NFL’s best players again this year at age 29.
It’s also worth noting that McCaffrey himself thought he was going to be traded to the L.A. Rams and not the 49ers back in October 2022.
“It’s a confusing mindset to be in, when there is that looming over your shoulder,” McCaffrey said. “And so that week was a weird week for me…. I wanted to play on Sunday. I didn’t know where it was going to be, but I knew I was going to play… But I thought I was going to the Rams, just because that’s what I had heard. And then my agent called me and told me I was going to the Niners.”
Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, looks out onto the field as the team huddles around quarterback Cam Newton (1) prior to a game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. on Nov. 28, 2021. Jeff Siner jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
McCaffrey is now considered an old pro. When he was a rookie with the Panthers in 2017 — the only year he would play in a playoff game with Carolina — he learned from his own veterans.
“I’ve been so fortunate to play with guys when I came in like the (Luke) Kuechlys and the Cam (Newtons) and the (Greg) Olsens, the Thomas Davises, the Jonathan Stewarts — guys like that had such a big impact on me.”
As for his overall memories with the Panthers, McCaffrey said:
“I think I have a lot of gratitude for the whole organization. I have so many great memories. You know, I get to say I have lifelong friends that I played with in the NFL, and a lot of them come from my time with the Panthers, and I’m forever grateful for that.” Now, on Monday Night Football, he’s going to try like heck to beat them.