After a couple of years into another rebuilding project, the Carolina Panthers have traded away the face of their franchise, Christian McCaffrey. The San Francisco 49ers acquired the star running back in a deal that went down yesterday. The fans got sentimental about their favorite player packing his bags. McCaffrey himself had a very heartfelt message of gratitude to give to the fans as well.

The 26-year-old running back shared a photo of him walking out of the tunnel. With his hands on the jersey, he wore to begin his journey as an NFL player. He showed his love for the people who have made this journey so special to him.

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He captioned the post with a note of gratitude to the fans and the people behind his career. While he prepares for a life away from the Panthers, he stated that he will forever be grateful to these people. Hence always have a place for Carolina in his heart.

The San Francisco 49ers only parted way with a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th round pick in 2023 and a 5th round pick in 2024. The exciting player was supposed to be valued much higher. However, his frequent run with injuries tanked his stocks. Even after the trade, loyalty shone through when McCaffrey was visibly upset after getting traded away.

Fans bid Christian McCaffrey a farewell

When the star shared the tweet, the fans started to pour their support and love for the player. And this tweet shows the time the player spent with the team and his unwithering dedication towards them.

Many fans took this opportunity to thank McCaffrey for all that he has done for the Cardiac Cats.

One other reason McCaffrey was so popular among the fans other than his entertaining plays was the time he took out to interact with the people who showed up to support him.

While he leaves the team, the fans wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.

Among all the heartfelt messages, there are also people who just can not get comfortable with the Panthers’ action to trade away a star.

And while there are a few swollen faces in the Carolina camp, their rivals are happy to see the trade go down.

The journey of McCaffrey with the cats

The Carolina Panthers drafted the running back with the 8th overall pick in 2017. While he was rather quiet in his rookie year, the player exploded in the following seasons. Rushing for 1098 yards in 2018 and further receiving for another 867 yards, he proved his usefulness as a receiver. However, his best year came in 2019, when he rushed for 1387 yards and crossed 1000 yards in reception as well.

Even though the player excited fans and experts alike, a chain of injuries restricted any growth he could have shown. In the next two seasons, the running back only played 10 games combined, but never lost the fighting spirit. It was evident by anytime he would step up to the plate, showing an insatiable hunger to make plays and score- either by running through a defense or catching a ball in the red zone. And now the player will be taking his talent to another team, taking off his white and blue jersey for the first time in his NFL career.

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