Why Including Christian McCaffrey in a Trade for Deshaun Watson is a Mistake
By now most Panthers' fans have seen the hypothetical trade scenario that could send All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey and three first-round picks to the Houston Texans in exchange for 25-year-old quarterback Deshaun Watson. This would certainly be the splashiest move we have ever seen from the Carolina Panthers and it could be well warranted. Watson would take the 5-11 Panthers from the NFC South basement to legitimate contenders for the foreseeable future.
There is no disputing Watson's incredible talent in a league that has a shortage of franchise-caliber quarterbacks. However, including Christian McCaffrey in the deal is something that the team needs to be wary of. Dealing a player of McCaffrey's stature could undermine everything that owner David Tepper is attempting to build in the Carolinas.
QBs are more valuable than RBs
Make no mistake about it, the quarterback position is astronomically more important than the running back position. The fact of the matter is that RBs have little impact on wins and losses, while QBs and win totals go hand in hand. Quarterbacks are the meat and potatoes and running backs are the side salad of an NFL offense.
Look no further than the four conference championship teams from 2020 for proof. Tom Brady (Buccaneers), Aaron Rodgers (Packers), Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), and Josh Allen (Bills) are all recognized as elite-level quarterbacks. All four of those teams have interchangeable running back by committees with the Packers' Aaron Jones probably being the closest to a Pro Bowl-caliber player.
So, why not include McCaffrey in a deal to bring Watson back to Carolina? Watson is clearly more valuable.
Dealing McCaffrey could create a lack of trust
Before the 2020 season kicked off the Panthers and Christian McCaffrey agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal. This deal was well earned with CMC fresh off of a stellar 1,387 rushing yards, 1,005 receiving yards, and 19 total touchdown campaign.
McCaffrey has become the face of the franchise with longtime Pro Bowlers like Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly, and Greg Olsen no longer suiting up for the team. What kind of message would it send to the rest of the players in the organization if the All-Pro was traded one year into his four-year extension?
Let's say news broke tomorrow that the Panthers and the Texans agreed on a deal that involves CMC for Watson. If I'm RT Taylor Moton or WR Curtis Samuel, then I'm thinking twice before re-signing with Carolina. They just shipped their most productive player to Houston after one year on a new deal, what will they do to me?
McCaffrey made it clear that he wants to spend the duration of the prime of his career with the Panthers when he re-signed last season. He has become a leader on and off the field in the Charlotte community. He recently bought a brand new house in the area.
Coach speak and falsely pumping up players is one thing but everyone in the organization would know that CMC got a raw deal if he was involved in a trade for Watson. There is a reason that Watson wants out of Houston. Don't forget that the Texans are in a mess partly because they decided to trade their best offensive weapon last season. The Panthers would essentially be doing the exact same thing. A move like this could undercut the culture that the Panthers are attempting to establish moving forward.
Dealing McCaffrey doesn't make sense financially
The Panthers and new GM Scott Fitterer have made a flurry of moves to create a decent amount of 2021 cap space. As it stands now, the team has around $30 million to work with.
Trading McCaffrey would create a dead cap hit of $17 million for 2021. In other words, all of the cap space that was recently freed up would be washed away by trading CMC. Not to mention the $30 million of guaranteed money that Carolina would still owe him in the coming years.
Bottom line
It would be incredible if the Panthers could find a way to bring Watson to Carolina. He is exactly the caliber of quarterback that the team needs in order to compete in the ultra-competitive NFC South division.
However, including McCaffrey in the deal would create a lot of unnecessary issues. Carolina needs to find a way to acquire Watson while leaving No. 22 in the backfield beside him.
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