Panthers listening to Christian McCaffrey trade offers

play

According to league sources, the Carolinas are listening to other teams about a possible trade for star running back Christian McCaffrey.

According to sources, the Carolinas rejected at least two teams' inquiries into trading for McCaffrey last week and will continue to reject significant offers.

Listening doesn't mean the team is doing anything. According to sources, the Carolinas are adamant that they will hold on to McCaffrey past the trade deadline if they don't get what they want.

His contract situation is one of the reasons why he is so attractive to other teams. Any team that acquires him in a trade would have no issues squeezing his contract under its salary cap since he lowered his base salary to just $1.035 million.

Any team that trades for him could decide how to handle his contract during the off-season, since his base salary jumps back up next season.

If the Carolinas don't receive a suitable offer by the deadline, they will have to move on from a marquee player they are prepared to carry into next season.

The first, second, fourth and fifth rounds are where Carolina will have its own picks. In the trade for wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. in August, the Jags got their seventh-round pick as part of the deal.

Carolina isn't willing to trade defensive stalwarts like Brian Burns and Derrick Brown.

According to sources, the panthers are willing to move a player like Anderson, who played for Matt Rhule. Anderson is a strong candidate for a deadline trade.