Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey was the best running back in football last season, and the Panthers are reportedly considering giving him an extension, seeing as he is in the final season of his rookie contract.
Typically, giving big contracts to running backs has not been a formula for success. The Los Angeles Rams gave Todd Gurley a huge deal in 2018 only to release him this past offseason.
However, new Panthers head coach Matt Rhule seems to support the idea, as he sees McCaffrey as a “centerpiece” player (via Tim Weaver of USA TODAY):
For what it’s worth, Matt Rhule says McCaffrey is a player you can build a team around. Here’s what Rhule told reporters in a Zoom call on Wednesday, per Alaina Getzenberg at the Charlotte Observer.
“My job is to coach the guys up until they’re here or not here. This is for anybody. Marty, those guys handle the contracts and all that. I think Christian McCaffrey is a centerpiece player you can build a team around … And I think he really builds for the culture that you want to have within the building. . . We want to be a serious football place, we want to be a place that it’s all about the game, and I think that’s who Christian McCaffrey is.”
McCaffrey became just the third player in NFL history to top the 1,000-yard mark in rushing and receiving yards in the same season, joining Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk.
The former Stanford star led all players with 2,392 yards from scrimmage and 19 total touchdowns in 2019, truly establishing himself as a do-it-all back.
Rhule has yet to coach a game for Carolina, but he is confident in McCaffrey as the main attraction in the offense moving forward.
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