NFL Insider Addresses Christian McCaffrey-Bills Trade Rumor

For a moment Monday, it sounded like the Bills’ already potent offense was on the verge of becoming even more vaunted.

Fortunately for all of the NFL teams outside of Western New York, Christian McCaffrey apparently isn’t packing his bags and preparing for a move to Buffalo. Not at this juncture anyway.

Dan Fetes of 13WHAM in Rochester, citing a source, claimed the Bills had reached out to the Panthers about the all-world running back. The report was tweeted hours after Carolina fired head coach Matt Rhule, a move that could signal a fire sale in Charlotte. But a little over an hour after Fetes took the NFL world by storm, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero dumped cold water on the rumor.

“The #Panthers haven’t had trade talks about Christian McCaffrey with the #Bills or any other team this season, per sources,” Pelissero tweeted. “Carolina already paid most of his $8.6M salary in a bonus. Every team will be working the phones the next few weeks, but nothing in the works with CMC.

As a result of the extension McCaffrey signed in April 2020, the 26-year-old is under contract through the 2025 season. However, his salary cap hit jumps from $8.7 million this season to nearly $20 million in each of the next two campaigns. That’s a significant amount of money to commit to any running back, let alone one who historically has struggled to stay on the field.

Could McCaffrey be a great fit in the Josh Allen-led Bills offense? Absolutely. Bet shelling out top-tier assets for a player who only would be a luxury for the unit doesn’t feel like a practical move. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Bills, the Super Bowl favorite, make some sort of move before the Nov. 1 trade deadline, though.