Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey is signing a four-year extension, averaging $16 million per year, making him the highest-paid running back in NFL history, sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 13, 2020
According to a report by Adam Schefter at ESPN, the Panthers are signing running back Christian McCaffrey to a four-year contract extension that averages $16 million per year. As Schefter notes, the new deal makes McCaffrey the highest-paid running back in league history.
McCaffrey was picked by Carolina at No. 8 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. His rookie season showed promise but nothing spectacular. Since then, he has established himself as the best player at his position in football, making this a fair market value.
While paying running backs a lot of money generally doesn’t work out well in today’s NFL, McCaffrey is a bit of a unicorn. In 48 games, McCaffrey has totaled 2,920 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns. He’s added another 2,523 yards and 15 touchdowns as a receiver.
At just 23 years old, McCaffrey likely has a lot of good football left in him. By the time his career is over, he may well be mentioned among the greatest running backs to ever play the game.
[lawrence-related id=620826]
[vertical-gallery id=620752]