Days after the firing of Head Coach Matt Rhule amid a disappointing 1-4 start to the season, it seems as if many players may be heading out of Carolina as the team’s top two offensive players are being talked about as possible trade candidates; those players being star running back Christian McCaffrey along with star wideout D.J. Moore.
The #Panthers have fired Matt Rhule.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 10, 2022
Both of these studs have been linked to multiple teams, with McCaffrey being linked to two NFC West teams who need consistent running back play, the Rams and the 49ers, and arguably the best team in the AFC, the Buffalo Bills.
Bills 👀
Rams 👀
49ers 👀@jfowlerespn on what it would take for interested teams to trade for Christian McCaffrey (@espnplus) 🔗 https://t.co/Qz9Z4OBhVk pic.twitter.com/6JQZF6CfbD— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 19, 2022
As for Moore, he is being linked to wide receiver-needy teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Giants.
#Panthers WR DJ Moore if moved, three teams to watch are the #Ravens #Packers and #Giants , per @NBCSports #NFL pic.twitter.com/0vcUp7jxFp
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) October 11, 2022
McCaffrey has been one of the best running backs in the league ever since he came into the NFL out of Stanford in 2017, including making NFL history in his third season when he became just the third player in the history of the sport to have at least 1,000 yards rushing and receiving. However, due to his injury history, some turmoil has also occurred during McCaffrey’s career.
Christian McCaffrey with the one-handed snag 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ZFjzoHGEyF
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 16, 2022
Injuries have genuinely been the only negative throughout McCaffrey’s career, so for possible teams interested in acquiring him; they must have a backup plan if planning to acquire him because of his injury history and also if there’s a team that feels they are one piece from competing for a Super Bowl, they should go all in on attempting to bring in arguably the best tailback in the NFL.
As for Moore, he was selected in the first round of the draft in 2018 out of Maryland and has shown great flashes throughout his career; however, he has been held back due to quarterback play during his time in a Panthers uniform as well as poor offensive coaching.
Baker Mayfield to open DJ Moore for the touchdown, and the lead. pic.twitter.com/7pe51HLaYr
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 18, 2022
It seems like Carolina has been wasting Moore’s career, so hopefully, if he is traded, he can find more opportunities to show the football world that he is truly one of the best at his position. Another factor is the fact that Carolina has had a different starting quarterback in each season of Moore’s career which of course goes against creating chemistry and thus consistency amongst receivers and quarterbacks.
As for the Panthers, since firing Matt Rhule after their week five 37-15 loss to the 49ers, they promoted assistant coach Steve Wilks to head coach on an interim basis. The team seems to be heading towards a rebuild, although they have one of the most talented defensive units in the league. The offensive struggles have been so consistent within the last couple of seasons, so it seems as if it is best to look around the league and see if they can get some draft capital to begin this rebuild.
Let us know what you think about the current state of the Carolina Panthers as well as your thoughts on these trade rumors by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
