On Monday, the Carolina Panthers will take the primetime stage for the first time in over a year. And when they do, there’ll be a familiar face waiting to welcome them in.

That face belongs to San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey—whom the Panthers and their fans, of course, know all too well.

Carolina selected the Stanford University star with the eighth overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft. He’d go on to spend nearly six seasons in Charlotte, where he became an AP first-team All-Pro and the franchise’s fourth all-time leading rusher.

His stint ended in the middle of the 2022 campaign—when general manager Scott Fitterer, in what seemed to be a sensible move at the time, shipped McCaffrey out west for four draft picks. The decision gave the Panthers some solid capital and freed up quite a bit of cap space, which was kind of a relief given McCaffrey’s injury history.

Here’s what they got back in return:

2023 second-round pick2023 third-round pick2023 fourth-round pick2024 fifth-round pick

So, with the Panthers and McCaffrey meeting for the first time since the blockbuster deal, how has that trade played out?

Well, here’s what that return has turned into . . .

2023 second-round pick (61st overall): Traded to Chicago Bears as part of deal for 2023’s first overall pick2023 third-round pick (93rd overall): Traded to Pittsburgh Steelers as part of deal for 2023’s 80th overall pick2023 fourth-round pick (132nd overall): Traded to Pittsburgh Steelers as part of deal for 2023’s 80th overall pick2024 fifth-round pick (166th overall): Traded to New York Giants as part of deal for 2024’s 39th and 141st overall picks

Yeah, they traded them all away. And what did that get them?

The 2023 second-rounder helped land them quarterback Bryce Young. Carolina also sent off that year’s ninth overall pick, a 2024 first, a 2025 second and wide receiver DJ Moore for the rights to the Heisman Trophy winner.

While Young has had his ups and downs, the now-third-year passer is fresh off being named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career. And through his ten starts in 2025, he’s guided the Panthers to a respectable 6-4 mark while keeping them right in the thick of the playoff race.

The 2023 third and fourths essentially became outside linebacker DJ Johnson. Johnson, after amassing just half a sack in 31 games, was waived in late September and has remained a free agent.

That final piece of the McCaffrey swap ended up in the team’s trade of another former first-round pick, Pro Bowl pass rusher Brian Burns. What they got back from the Giants allowed them to maneuver for Texas running back Jonathon Brooks, the 46th overall pick in 2024.

Brooks, who was recovering from a torn ACL at the time of his selection, re-tore the same ACL in the middle of his rookie season. He’s appeared in just three games as a pro.

Carolina’s decision to trade McCaffrey had both positive and negative effects on the roster, in the short and long term. The deal could, however, have helped them secure a franchise quarterback and a dynamic rusher.

As for McCaffrey, he dealt with his first true injury-riddled campaign with the 49ers in 2024. But he has bounced back to his elite status in 2025 while stabilizing a bruised and battered San Francisco roster.

With the jury still out on what the Panthers have, there seems to be a clear winner of this trade—the team that’s getting every single ounce out of the NFL’s premier do-it-all weapon.

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