CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers ' locker room was in shock on Oct. 20, 2022, when star running back Christian McCaffrey was traded to the San Francisco 49ers .

Even today, some wonder why the organization moved its best player, but the answer was simple: Even with McCaffrey, the 2017 No. 8 draft pick, Carolina was 1-5, had just fired coach Matt Rhule and hadn't been to the playoffs or had a winning season since 2017.

The organization was looking for a path to turn things around.

That meant acquiring draft picks to rebuild and potentially select a franchise quarterback, according to multiple league sources close to the situation, because the Panthers had only four picks in the 2023 draft.

McCaffrey, despite being limited to 10 games the previous two seasons, was their mos

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