Panthers mobilized to tell Christian McCaffrey he…

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A Friday report linking Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey to a potential Deshaun Watson trade package forced Carolina into cleanup mode.

Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that both coach Matt Rhule and G.M. Scott Fitterer called McCaffrey on Friday night to tell him that they never considered offering him for Watson.

PFT reported on Saturday that McCaffrey wasn’t offered, and that the Panthers didn’t consider offering him.

It appears that the McCaffrey angle was indeed a red herring, and that any suggestion the Panthers are still in play for Watson is misplaced. As mentioned yesterday, Watson has a no-trade clause — if he doesn’t want to play for the Panthers, no deal is happening.