The Carolina Panthers have ushered in significant changes to both their roster and coaching staff this offseason. As a result, there had been plenty of speculation regarding their willingness to make running back Christian McCaffrey the highest-paid player at his position.

The Panthers gave their answer by rewarding McCaffrey with a four-year, $64 million contract extension. According to Steve Reed of the Associated Press, there had never been a sense of doubt from either side:

“I never focused on signing somewhere else. It never occurred to me,” McCaffrey said during a video conference call Monday. “I want to be in Carolina for my whole career. . . . I bought a place in Charlotte. I love the Carolinas more than anything in the world. It is somewhere I would like to call home forever.”

It is encouraging to see that McCaffrey had already doubled down on the Panthers as his future home for quite some time. Although investing big money in a running back is seen as taboo in today's NFL, they are clearly all in on him as the face of their franchise for years to come.

McCaffrey has already managed to provide the Panthers with plenty of bang for their buck over the past two years. He will now serve as the focal point of their potential resurgence in the 2020 NFL season amid the ongoing rebuild.

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Having a player of McCaffrey's caliber should help serve as a stabilizing factor for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and Panthers head coach Matt Rhule. Regardless of the new scheme, it is safe to say that it will feature a heavy dose of their workhorse running back.

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