Panthers Announce Big Roster Move on Christian McCaffrey

11/30/2021 04:15 pm EST

The Carolina Panthers have lost their star running back for the remainder of the 2021 season. On Monday, the Panthers announced that Christian McCaffrey suffered an injury in Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins won't be able to play in the team's remaining games this year. McCaffrey had an MRI on Monday, which revealed the ankle injury suffered on Sunday is severe enough to place him on injured reserve. When learning the news, McCaffrey went to Instagram to send a message to his fans. 

"I love playing football and have dedicated my entire life to what I believe to be the greatest sport in the world," McCaffrey wrote in the Instagram post. "Getting healthy and back on the field this season has been my focus everyday from the time I wake up until I go to bed. I've put family, friends, and all other interests on hold so I can fully concentrate my efforts on treatment, training, practicing, studying, preparing, and playing the game I love at the highest level which is why my season coming to an abrupt end today leaves me devastated.

"I am thankful to everyone who continue to help and support me through this difficult time and promise I will fight with everything I have to return bigger, stronger, faster, and better than ever." McCaffrey is one of the more talented running backs in the NFL, but injuries have been a problem for him recently. He will miss the Panthers' final five games of the season and has already missed five games this year due to a hamstring injury that was suffered in Week 3, as mentioned by ESPN. 

Last year, McCaffrey missed 13 games due to multiple injuries. In April 2020, McCaffrey signed a four-year $64 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid running back in NFL history. Since then, the 25-year-old will have only played in 10 of the 33 games by the end of this year.

McCaffrey was drafted by the Panthers No. 8 overall in 2017. After having a strong rookie season where he rushed for 435 yards and caught 80 passes for 651 yards, McCaffrey had a breakout year in 2019, rushing for 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns while recording 1,005 receiving yards and four scores. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl that year and named to the All-Pro First Team.

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