Christian McCaffrey Trade Rumors: GMs ‘Would Not Be Surprised’ If Bills Land Star RB

AP Photo/Doug Murray

Rival general managers “would not be surprised” if the Buffalo Bills landed Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey via trade, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.

La Canfora provided a breakdown of the most notable teams heading into free agency and discussed the Bills, who are coming off back-to-back AFC East titles.

“They can get creative, and I continue to hear them [deadset] on adding an impact pass-rusher,” La Canfora said in part.

“And rival GMs would not be surprised if they came away with Christian McCaffrey as well. They can almost taste that Lombardi-tinged champaign, they fully grasp the gauntlet they are up against in the AFC, and I wouldn’t discount their ability to make a splash or two.”

McCaffrey led the NFL with 4,357 scrimmage yards and 32 touchdowns over 2018 and 2019, but injuries have held him to just 10 games since then. He’s still been productive when given the chance, amassing 5.8 yards per touch in 2021 en route to 785 scrimmage yards and two scores in seven games.

CMC won’t come cheap, as he signed a four-year, $64 million extension that runs through 2025. The Bills would also have to get creative with the salary cap, as the team is only listed with $440,821 in space, per Over the Cap.

There’s also the factor of whether the Bills really need a high-priced running back after the team finished third in scoring last year. A run game led by running back Devin Singletary and quarterback Josh Allen did just fine last year, with the team posting 4.8 yards per carry.

McCaffrey would make a dynamic and powerful Bills offense even better, but resources could be spent elsewhere, perhaps to shore up a defense that allowed the fewest points in the league but struggled at the end of a 42-36 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round.

As it stands now, the Bills are considered the Super Bowl favorites by oddsmakers, with DraftKings Sportsbook pegging them at +650 ($100 bet to win $650) to win their first-ever Lombardi Trophy. McCaffrey would be a luxury on a team that has few needs and looks primed for a deep playoff push as is.