All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey made sure to show his appreciation to where he's been on Friday before making the trek to his new NFL home.
Shortly after news broke late Thursday night that Carolina traded McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers, the 26-year-old took to social media to offer a farewell statement to the Panthers.
"I'm forever grateful for all of the people who have helped make these past 5 1/2 years so special for me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart," McCaffrey wrote on Twitter. "Carolina, I will always love you."
The Panthers also showed their appreciation for McCaffrey, first over social media as well as via a statement from Panthers owner David Tepper on Friday.
"Christian's focus and commitment to the game are rare," Tepper said. "He is humble, takes nothing for granted, works extremely hard and has earned everything he has accomplished. I'm grateful for his contributions to the Panthers and wish him the best as he moves forward with his career."
McCaffrey, a former Stanford star, heads west to the 49ers in exchange for three 2023 draft picks (second, third and fourth round) and a fifth-rounder in 2024.
McCaffrey established himself as one of the top offensive weapons in the NFL upon entering the league as the eighth overall pick in 2017. His best season came in 2019, when he eclipsed 1,000 yards both rushing and receiving and totaled 19 touchdowns.
Injuries have hampered him since, however, as he played in 16 of his team's 39 games since the start of the 2020 season. He has 393 yards on 85 carries and 277 yards on 33 receptions with three total scores thus far in 2022.
The Panthers (1-5) appear to be in a full-blown rebuild at this point, having traded receiver Robbie Anderson to Arizona earlier this week. Anderson was sent to the locker room during Carolina's 24-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday following arguments with coaches on the sideline.
Carolina fired head coach Matt Rhule earlier this month.
Despite his team's troubles, Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer dismissed the notion moving McCaffrey was a conscious decision toward tanking the season as a means for a better draft pick in 2023.
No," Fitterer said. "I think what we had to figure in was what's best for the organization, like I was saying. Our focus is still on going out and competing every weekend. We expect to win. That was Coach's (Steve Wilks') mindset this weekend. The NFL is a business where you lose guys -- whether it's injuries, trades, whatever happens. The expectation of winning never changes. Those guys in the locker room fight too hard. They work too hard every day. So, we owe it to them. That's our expectation as an organization is to go out and win every game."
The Panthers host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3) on Sunday.
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