The Panthers reportedly have opened the phone lines for one of the franchise's best players.
Carolina kicked off Week 6 by firing head coach Matt Rhule. Many thought the removal of Rhule would signal a firesale in Charlotte, and while that doesn't appear to be the case, the Panthers reportedly are listening to offers for a top-tier trade asset: star running back Christian McCaffrey.
During Sunday morning's edition of "SportsCenter," ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter shed light on the McCaffrey situation, including Carolina's approach to shopping the 26-year-old.
"At this point in time, the Panthers are at least listening," Schefter said. "Now, it's going to take a significant haul to pry loose McCaffrey. They're not having a firesale, they're not just going to give him away. Unless they get what they want in return for Christian McCaffrey, they won't deal him. So, they're happy to hold on to him, but other teams have called. The Panthers told two teams this last week, 'No, your offer's not good enough.' We'll see what develops from this point on."
The Panthers probably can expect to receive many more calls about McCaffrey leading up to the Nov. 1 trade deadline. Not only is the sixth-year pro one of the NFL's most dynamic playmakers when healthy, but taking on his contract wouldn't be much of a burden for an interested team. If traded, McCaffrey's new organization would inherit three years and $36 million of his contract with only $1 million of next season's base salary guaranteed, per NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.
As for the Panthers, they will play their first game under interim head coach Steve Wilks on Sunday when they visit the Los Angeles Rams. Carolina is a 10-point underdog at most sportsbooks.
