Christian McCaffrey's $64 Million Contract Breakdown

Spotrac breaks down Christian McCaffrey's record-breaking four-year, $64 million contract.

Late Monday afternoon, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that running back Christian McCaffrey and the Carolina Panthers agreed to a four-year contract extension, averaging $16 million per year, making him the highest-paid running back in NFL history. The contract keeps McCaffrey under contract through the 2025 season. Ezekiel Elliot was previously the NFL’s highest-paid running back, signing a six-year, $90 million extension in 2019.

McCaffrey has altered the way the NFL looks at and pays running backs as he is not your traditional running back in the NFL. He is a “centerpiece you can build your offense around” according to Panthers head coach Matt Rhule. Rhule is entirely confident that ‘CMC’ is worth the $16 million per year salary due to the fact that he is not just a running back but a threat as a wide receiver. The All-Pro has eclipsed 100 receptions in each of the last two seasons.

Christian McCaffrey became the third player in NFL history with at least 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season, joining Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk. McCaffrey racked up 2,392 yards from scrimmage last season - while scoring 19 touchdowns. The Panthers are not just paying a running back but an offensive weapon.

Spotrac broke down McCaffrey’s four-year, $64 million contract where CMC was guaranteed $30 million at signing but the team has an option to opt-out after three years. Other record-breaking contracts to running backs in the past (Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliott) have not had the flexibility the Panthers possess with McCaffrey’s deal. The potential out after year three would only result in $8.6 million in dead cap with the contract totaling just $39.1 million out of the $64 million total. Additionally, McCaffrey will be locked into another $8.1 million next March, earning a total of $22 million in 2020 with only a $7.8 million cap hit.

Below you can see Spotrac's full breakdown of Christian McCaffrey's contract including year-by-year cap hits, base salary, dead cap, and much more. 

Christian McCaffrey's 4 yr, $64M #Panthers extension:
• $30M guaranteed at signing
• Another $8.1M locked in next March
• $22M in 2020 ($7.8M cap)
• Potential Out: 3 years, $39M

Breakdown: https://t.co/f2wgwEUdLW pic.twitter.com/yKuYwxJk3k

— Spotrac (@spotrac) April 17, 2020

What do you think about Christian McCaffrey’s contract extension with the Panthers? Does he deserve to be the NFL’s highest-paid running back? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below and connect with other Panthers fans!

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