Christian McCaffrey reflects on ‘bittersweet’ trade to 49ers ahead of reunion with Panthers

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — When Christian McCaffrey looks back three years ago at the trade that sent him from Carolina to San Francisco and altered the direction of both franchises, the emotions are somewhat mixed.

McCaffrey had plenty of individual success during his time with the Panthers, but has enjoyed some of the biggest moments of his career with the 49ers since the trade with a Super Bowl appearance and winning the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award two years ago.

McCaffrey now gets the chance to face off against his old team on Monday night when the Panthers (6-5) visit the 49ers (7-4) in a game with big playoff implications in the NFC.

“It was a huge blessing but it was also a bittersweet moment for me at the time,” McCaffrey said Thursday about the trade in October 2022.

“I loved Charlotte, I loved Carolina. It’s where I still have a home. I loved my teammates and I was a captain on that team and so it’s weird when you get traded in the middle of the year. But when I look back on my journey and what’s happened and what’s transpired since then, I can’t help but look back and just be so grateful for the opportunity to come to San Fran.”

The Panthers have gone through multiple coaching staffs and overhauled the roster since making the trade three years ago, leaving only a handful of familiar faces.

McCaffrey downplayed the emotions of facing his former team, saying every week in the NFL is extremely important.

“There’s always added motivation,” he said. “I take every week extremely seriously. This week for sure I also take seriously.”

McCaffrey began his career in Carolina after being drafted eighth overall by the Panthers in 2017. He topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage as a rookie when Carolina made the playoffs and then his career took off from there.

He had 1,965 yards from scrimmage in 2018 when he was picked as a second-team All-Pro and then became the third player ever to top 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in 2019 when he was a first-team All-Pro with league-leading totals of 2,392 yards from scrimmage and 19 TDs.

Injuries limited McCaffrey to 10 games the following two seasons. Coach Matt Rhule was fired early in the 2022 season and McCaffrey was dealt the 49ers shortly after that in a deal for four draft picks.

McCaffrey knew a trade was a possibility and at one point thought he was headed to the Rams before getting the news that San Francisco had acquired him.

“That week was a weird week for me,” he said. “It’s hard not to hear the talk around you about it, but I really just tried to lock in and focus on practice, focus on meetings. I didn’t know what was going to happen. But I wanted to play on Sunday. I didn’t know where it was going to be, but I knew I was going to play. So I had to lock back in and focus on what I had to do to play in an NFL football game on that Sunday.”

McCaffrey suited up for San Francisco two days after arriving and his impact on the team since then has been immense.

He immediately helped elevate San Francisco’s offense to a new level, leading the team to the NFC title game his first season. The Niners then made the Super Bowl the following year when he led the NFL with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and 21 TDs on the way to being named the top offensive player.

His 2024 season was derailed by injuries but McCaffrey is back in good form this season, leading the NFL with 1,439 yards from scrimmage as he is on pace for another season with 1,000 yards rushing and receiving.

Some of his former teammates talked this week about the impact McCaffrey had on them with his intense work ethic and know how difficult it will be to slow him down.

“You keep him in front of you,” defensive tackle Derrick Brown said. “Because once he gets by you, you got a lot of problems. You got to find him quickly, I’ll tell you that. … I mean, he’s dynamic, right? He blocks in the run game. He gets wide open. He’s got the speed to be able to get into the secondary. I mean, he’s just definitely like a triple threat.”

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AP Sports Writer Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report

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