San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey.

The Carolina Panthers trading running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers changed the trajectory of one of those teams. The other largely stayed in place.

For the 49ers, McCaffrey has given them elite production when healthy and helped fuel a Super Bowl berth to cap the 2023 season. For the Panthers, the team still hasn't rebounded to a winning record and/or a playoff berth with the draft capital acquired in the trade.

The Panthers used part of the 49ers draft capital acquired in the McCaffrey deal to trade up and draft quarterback Bryce Young in 2023, who still hasn't provided consistent enough play to justify a contract extension.

Since the trade, the 49ers have remained competitive, and McCaffrey has flourished when healthy. He won Offensive Player of the Year in the same season the team won the NFC en route to a Super Bowl loss.

As for the Panthers, the wins didn't immediately follow the season after the trade... or the one after that. The 2025 team is 6-5 and playing as well as it has in years. However, a tough stretch ahead could knock Carolina out of playoff contention entirely despite the team's winning record.

More than three years later, the McCaffrey has boded incredibly well for the 49ers and only so-so for the Panthers. If Young finally settles in as a franchise quarterback, the Panthers will eventually breathe a little easier on this one

This article originally appeared on For The Win: How the 49ers won the 2022 Christian McCaffrey Panthers trade

Reporting by Cory Woodroof, For The Win / For The Win

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