Three Former Panthers Headed to Super Bowl with Niners

Christian McCaffrey, Steve Wilks, and Sam Darnold are one win away from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

A year ago, the Carolina Panthers traded Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers for what turned out to be a bag of chips. Shortly following the end of the 2022 season, the Panthers then passed on removing the interim tag from Steve Wilks and instead, hired Frank Reich who lasted just eleven games as the team's head coach.

In their first full year away from Carolina, McCaffrey and Wilks are headed to the Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers. Former Carolina QB Sam Darnold will be joining them as the backup to Brock Purdy. 

After the game, NBC Sports' Bay Area affiliate caught up with Wilks and McCaffrey on the field to get their instant reaction on winning the NFC Championship.

"It means a lot. Third time hopefully is the charm," Wilks said. "I've been to two and a matter of fact, the last one on this field right here, Super Bowl 50 and we didn't win. But to come and do it here with these men, this is the best organization that I've ever been a part of. They do it the right way. I'm just blessed to be a part of it and looking forward to finishing this deal."

"Just a resilient group. Guys that didn't flinch," McCaffrey responded when asked what changed at the half. "We knew what was on the line obviously and (I'm) just so proud to be a part of this team."

McCaffrey ran for a career-high 1,459 yards this season to go along with 14 touchdowns - the second-most in his career. Wilks' defense finished 8th in the league, allowing 312.6 yards per game while finishing third in scoring defense (18.4 ppg).

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