Report: 49ers among 4 teams to express interest in Christian McCaffrey

Last week, a report surfaced that the Carolina Panthers would be open to dealing some of their most prominent players. On Saturday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared that Carolina wouldn’t deal their primary defensive pieces, such as Derrick Brown and Brian Burns, but would be open to trading running back Christian McCaffrey.

Johnathan Jones of CBS Sports wrote about how the Panthers have not engaged in any serious talks, but the 49ers have shown interest:

And while teams are calling about Christian McCaffrey, the Panthers have not engaged in any serious trade talks. Carolina isn’t just going to give away one of the league’s best weapons when healthy. The Broncos, 49ers, Rams, and Bills are among the teams that have shown varying degrees of interest in McCaffrey.

Here’s what Schefter said:

The Panthers rebuffed at least two teams’ inquiries into trading for McCaffrey last week and will continue to reject overtures they don’t consider significant offers, according to sources.

Listening hardly means the team is dealing McCaffrey. If the Panthers do not receive what they feel is a real offer — with a high draft pick or multiple picks — they are adamant that they will hold on to McCaffrey past the NFL’s Nov. 1 trade deadline, sources told ESPN.

I’m not sure the 49ers have the assets Carolina desires to acquire a talented player such as McCaffrey. And while he has a lengthy injury history, CMC is 26 with a history tied to Kyle Shanahan. If acquired, McCaffrey could fit into the Niners' plans as he has a base salary in 2022 of just $1.035 million.

It’s hard to imagine the Panthers trading McCaffrey when you peek at his contract on Over the Cap. Carolina would have to take on roughly $7.5 million in dead money over the next three years and only end up saving $1.2 million this season. Even if there plans to be a hard reset, McCaffrey is the type of player you build around.

Unless you get a desperate offer. Would McCaffrey take the 49ers' offense to another level? Without question. Is he worthy of a future first-round pick or whatever obscene return we can assume Carolina wants? That’s the debate.

As Jones reported above, San Francisco will sniff around and see how serious the Panthers are about moving McCaffrey. By the sounds of it, he’ll remain in Carolina after the trade deadline.