Is the Christian McCaffrey Trade the Worst of All-Time?

Carolina could sure use the services of CMC.

Author:
Schuyler Callihan
Jan 22, 2024 10:46 AM EST

In this story:

The Colts trading a first-round pick for running back Trent Richardson, the Rams sending Jerome Bettis to Pittsburgh for draft picks, and the Herschel Walker deal that involved five players and eight draft picks are some of the worst trades in NFL history involving a running back.

But the one that just might take the cake when it's all said and done? The Carolina Panthers trading Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers a 2023 second, third, and fourth-round picks and 2024 fifth round pick.

They used the third and fourth-round picks were sent to Pittsburgh during last spring's draft in order to move up to select Oregon pass rusher DJ Johnson. In 13 games as a rookie, Johnson had minimal impact in a limited role, recording 16 tackles on 231 defensive snaps. Given that he's already at the age of 25, it's hard to imagine that Johnson will make that much of a leap in year two and become much of a contributor.

The second round pick was used on wide receiver Jonathan Mingo who showed some flashes during his rookie campaign but left much to be desired. The former Ole Miss Rebel hauled in 43 receptions for 418 yards and failed to reach the end zone.

Now sure, it's way too early to write Mingo and Johnson off but the optics of this trade are not good whatsoever. Giving up arguably the most dynamic offensive player to ever play the game for they got in return is laughable. Not a single first round pick for a guy that had a season of 1,000 yards rushing AND 1,000 yards receiving. It's one of the many reasons Scott Fitterer is no longer the general manager in Carolina.

Again, there's still some time for this trade to not look nearly as bad, but if Johnson and Mingo don't make significant strides in their development this deal will be mentioned in the same vein as those stated at the beginning of this article.