Christian McCaffrey Trade to Bills? Buffalo Calls Fire-Sale Panthers - Report
Are the Carolina Panthers in fire-sale mode?
Are the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl-buyer mode?
In terms of at least touching base, that seems to be an NFL trade match.
The Bills have reportedly made a call to Carolina on the 26-year-old standout running back Christian McCaffrey, who has a high price tag and an injury history - the reasons he's been dangled by the Panthers before.
Indeed, this offseason, we know Buffalo inquired about his availability in a conversation that went nowhere then ...
But now that Buffalo is 4-1 and the Panthers are 1-4 and starting with the firing of coach Matt Rhule are in start-over mode?
More phone calling makes more sense.
The 2022 NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, November 1, but that doesn't mean the Bills should wait. Buffalo is loaded in many ways, starting with a leading MVP candidate at quarterback in Josh Allen. And maybe they are fine in terms of talent at running back, too, numbers aside.
Those numbers? The Bills rank 13th in the NFL in team rushing yardage, with 582 yards gained and 5.1 yards per - but that's because of Allen, who has 225 of those yards all by himself.
The actual running backs? Devin Singletary (40 attempts, 171 yards) is a weapon that has done little damage on the ground. Rookie back James Cook (17 attempts, 89 yards) gave Buffalo a score in Sunday's blowout of the Steelers that marked the Bills' first non-Allen-involved TD of the year. Zack Moss (17 attempts, 91 yards) hasn't been a major factor.
The obstacles? McCaffrey is playing on a four-year, $64 million contract that essentially makes him a $19 million running back. There is some escapability there, but most teams have found that number to be prohibitive. Meanwhile, entering this season, the star missed 23 of a possible 33 games between 2020 and 2021.
This year he's got 324 yards, 26 catches and three total TDs for a Carolina franchise that, it is worth noting, has an open line of communication with Bills general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott.
Does all of it add up to a blockbuster trade that is smarter than simply making things work with a pass-first offense complemented by Singletary, Moss, and Cook? Probably so. But it's still worth the phone call that has reportedly already been made.
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