CMC Trade Grades

[UNCrules2187]

Add 'em as you come across them.

ESPN

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Grade for the 49ers: C-

McCaffrey is a truly elite receiving back who has recorded a 1,000-yard receiving season and is No. 1 in our receiving tracking metrics overall score among running backs since 2018. The running backs who thrived in Shanahan's system have thrived running the ball, and McCaffrey does bring a different dimension.

...

McCaffrey is injury plagued. He missed 23 of 33 games during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, though he has been healthy this year. And for a running back in the modern NFL, McCaffrey is old. He's only 26 years old, but he's in his sixth season, and the last time a running back in his sixth season or later cracked 1,100 yards was 2017 (LeSean McCoy and Mark Ingram II).

On the ground, there are signs of McCaffrey's waning ability as a rusher, too. In 2018 and 2019, he averaged 0.7 and 0.8 rush yards over expectation per carry, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. In 2020, 2021 and 2022, that number dropped to minus-0.3, minus-0.1 and 0.1, respectively, meaning he has been accumulating only what's expected given the position of all 22 players on the field at handoff. So the 49ers are realistically banking on a healthy and productive McCaffrey for the remainder of 2022 and 2023, which is far from a safe bet.

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Talented rosters don't last forever, and the NFC is looking particularly weak, so I understand the impulse to seize opportunity when it presents itself. It's a tantalizing upside play. But the most likely outcome here is the 49ers will end up regretting this choice.

Grade for the Panthers: A-

The cost savings are minimal, but that's not the point. It's all about the draft picks. The Panthers have some talented players on their roster, some of whom they'll presumably keep past the trade deadline. But they certainly need to reload and will be in the market for a quarterback. These picks can only help. While Carolina didn't land a first-rounder, I figured that wasn't in the cards for an oft-injured veteran running back, even an elite one. And a second-rounder, third-rounder and then some can equate to a first-rounder.

There are worlds where even a healthy McCaffrey would not have had a market this hot. So the Panthers did well to get this package from the 49ers -- and to get it now.

 

CBS Sports

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49ers: B-

From an on-field perspective, the move is an act of desperation. It did not feel as though they were in a closing Super Bowl window and McCaffrey does not come across as the missing piece for that offense. With that being said, fans should appreciate a front office willing to make a splashy move in an effort to compete for the ultimate prize. 

Since Lance suffered a season-ending injury, San Francisco has gone 2-2 with Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm. They are in a three-way tie atop the NFC West. The acquisition of McCaffrey, a Stanford product, could be the jolt that the team needs but the Niners sacrificed future assets in the process.

Panthers: A-

It is hard to call the team parting with a player as talented as McCaffrey a winner, but that is the case for Carolina. The reality is that they will soon be starting over with a new head coach and could be staring down a significant overhaul. Holding on to a running back who has missed 23 games since the start of the 2020 regular season does not help; nor does having his contract on the books.

If said rebuild were to occur, Carolina now has ample draft capital to be aggressive. The Panthers hold their original picks in Rounds 1, 2, 4 and 5 so the haul from the Bay Area will be added to that pile. Quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield are both free agents after the season so the franchise could have a clean slate at the position. If they want to move around for a top quarterback prospect -- thought to be Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Alabama's Bryce Young and Kentucky's Will Levis -- in the 2023 NFL Draft, they now have the draft capital to potentially pursue that option. 

 

[RenoCarolina]

https://www.si.com/nfl/panthers/gm-report/grading-the-panthers-49ers-christian-mccaffrey-trade

 

 

Schuyler Callihan: C+

I disagree with the decision to trade McCaffrey as I believe it will somewhat hinder the search for the next head coach. That said, the Panthers get a nice haul of draft picks in return. Anytime you can trade a running back that has been injury prone for four picks, you need to take that deal, especially in this situation where the Panthers are going absolutely nowhere. 

Ian Black: A

This feels like a really solid return when taking McCaffrey’s talent, contract, and tread on the tires. Two top-100 picks and a couple day three picks doesn’t have the shiny look of a 1st rounder, but this should help refill a cupboard missing a few pieces. CMC has been nothing but a class act in Charlotte and will always be loved by fans. The time just came for the two sides to part ways and do what was best for their respective futures.

[CBDellinger]

The true grade will be based on what they do with the draft picks.  If we wind up with a buncha crap players its a fail... land 2 starters or 1 pro bowl stud and its a home run.

[RenoCarolina]

https://clutchpoints.com/grading-the-49ers-panthers-trade-for-christian-mccaffrey/

gives niners B, Panthers B+

 

<best take>

We’re a little sad for the Panthers fans since CMC has always seemed like a true favorite in Charlotte. They will surely remember him well. But this is the reality of professional football. It’s a business, and in this context, it was just time for both parties to part ways.

 

 

[RenoCarolina]

https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/christian-mccaffrey-trade-grades-49ers-panthers

they gave niners B+

Carolina Panthers

Tear it down. All of it. And get back as many draft picks as you can.

That’s the goal for the Panthers, and it’s good that they did that with Robbie Anderson and now McCaffrey, and they should keep doing it with any big name that could fetch some good picks.

So they did a great job here extracting as much value as possible with a player who wasn’t going to help them now or in the near future, one who also comes with some risk.

GRADE: A

[UNCrules2187]

The Athletic. Gave 49ers a B-

[Waldo]

Ballsy move by the 49ers after the Lance trade and outcome to date. I was a Petters fan when we were searching but he scares the hell out of me now. Jimmy G isn't winning a SB, CMC doesn't change that.

[Kentucky Panther]

The huddle, as usual, in complete meltdown mode when the reality is, it wasn’t a bad trade for the Panthers. 

[4Corners]

So objective unbiased NFL analysts and beat people think it was a great trade for the Panthers value and return wise. 
 

Panthers fans on a message board think it was a terrible trade and the team should be moved and the GM imprisoned. 
 

[bigpoppa]

14 minutes ago, UNCrules2187 said:

The Athletic. Gave 49ers a B-

This one sums it up the best. Best case, CMC has at most 2-3 dominate years remaining. Those would be wasted during a rebuild.

[LegioX]

13 minutes ago, Kentucky Panther said:

The huddle, as usual, in complete meltdown mode when the reality is, it wasn’t a bad trade for the Panthers. 

I hate to see CMC go, but it was a great pickup. We need to horde all the draft picks we can muster for the new HC.

[Shocker]

Forgetting that it really sucks losing CMC…he was very injury prone with big money due and we did get back 4 draft picks.  Just need the 49ers to lose now

[UNCrules2187]

 

[Carl Spackler]

15 minutes ago, Kentucky Panther said:

The huddle, as usual, in complete meltdown mode when the reality is, it wasn’t a bad trade for the Panthers. 

I remember when this was said about the Darnold trade.