Could The Buffalo Bills Trade For This Star Running Back?

The Buffalo Bills have had more success in the last three seasons, than they have had in the entire 17-year playoff drought they endured from 2000-2017.

The Bills offense and defense have both been playing excellent for much of these past three seasons, and it's a refreshing thing for Bills fans to enjoy an offense that's so high-octane and pass heavy, since they hadn't really seen that since at least 2002 when Drew Bledsoe passed for over 4,300 passing yards in his first year in Buffalo.

The Bills are set to close out the 2021 regular season against the New York Jets this Sunday at Highmark Stadium, and with a win, the Bills would win their second straight AFC East title.

But it never hurts to look forward to the upcoming offseason, and wondering what moves could be coming down the road for the roster.

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Right now, the Bills have a projected cap space of $9.6 million, which is towards the bottom of the league for cap space in 2022. The worst is the New Orleans Saints at -$60 million and the most is the Miami Dolphins at $75 million.

That projected cap space for the Bills could damper some offseason moves, but one position that fans feel could be upgraded, and have for a while, is the running back position.

The Bills main backs are Devin Singletary and Zack Moss, but that backfield wouldn't hurt from an upgrade, especially with a back who is more prolific at catching the ball.

One of the best running backs in the NFL could be available for a trade in 2022, as The Athletic reported that the Carolina Panthers are willing to "listen to offers" for the star back.

McCaffrey had nearly 2,400 combined rushing and receiving yards in 2019, with 19 touchdowns in a breakout season for Carolina. However, despite his talents, has only played in 10 total regular season games in the past two seasons due to injury.

McCaffrey's contract is also a huge problem. He signed a four-year, $64 million extension in 2020 with the Panthers and that cap hit starts in 2022. McCaffrey will have a cap hit of over $14 million in 2022 with over $17 million in 2023 and 2024.

The Bills would absolutely love a player like McCaffrey in their backfield, especially considering hos great he is catching passes, but the contract is a problem. Bills general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott both came from Carolina and have made deals with thee Panthers in the past.

The Panthers hired former Bills director of player personnel, Dan Morgan, as their assistant general manager this past off-season and Morgan used to play linebacker for Carolina.

The connections the Bills have with the Panthers, plus McCaffrey's skills and talents, makes him an ideal trade piece for a Bills team who is in a win-now mode. It makes a lot of sense.

But the injury concerns and contract make it very difficult. A team like the Kansas City Chiefs will also be talked about as a potential trade candidate with their $29 million in projected cap space and win-now attitude as well.

What's say you Bills Mafia, do you want the Bills to move heaven and earth to land Christian McCaffrey? Or, allocate the money they have entirely to the offensive line and secondary?