With the Panthers apparently hitting the reset button, and with the Bills reportedly having past interest in running back Christian McCaffrey, reports are emerging that the Bills and Panthers have spoken about McCaffrey.
And, of course, conflicting reports are emerging that they haven’t.
These things happen from time to time in the NFL. Whether it’s a plausible deniability or technically the truth or a flat-out lie, there are reasons for teams to tell reporters that nothing is happening, even if something is.
The Panthers obviously won’t want to undermine their relationship with McCaffrey prematurely. The Bills may not want to make waves in their own locker room, if for some reason it doesn’t happen.
That doesn’t mean it won’t. How many times has a team publicly denied interest in trading a player before inevitably trading him?
That’s the game. That’s how it often goes.
There’s reason to keep an eye on a potential deal that would send McCaffrey to Buffalo. G.M. Brandon Beane was with the Panthers when McCaffrey became the eighth overall pick, getting the Buffalo job after the 2017 draft. And the Bills would benefit tremendously from McCaffrey’s presence, as they try to get to the Super Bowl for the first time in 29 years and win it for the first time ever.
The question becomes McCaffrey’s salary beyond 2022. Would the Bills re-do the deal now? Would McCaffrey have his contract shortened? What would the Panthers want to move on from McCaffrey?
Regardless of the specific terms of whatever is being reported, it makes sense for the Panthers to move on from McCaffrey — and it makes sense for the Bills to want him. It also makes sense for the two sides to at least talk about the possibility, and to deny doing so.
Last year, the Bills resisted making all-in moves during the season. The Rams didn’t, and the Rams won the Super Bowl thanks in part to trading for Von Miller and signing Odell Beckham Jr. Adding McCaffrey could be exactly what the Bills need to finally deliver a long-coveted Lombardi Trophy to Western New York.
Why not at least make the phone call and see if a deal can be struck? Regardless of whatever the powers-that-be tell reporters between now and the November 1 trade deadline, it would be foolish for the conversation to not occur.
Conflicting reports emerge as to potential Bills-Panthers trade talks for Christian McCaffrey originally appeared on Pro Football Talk