Christian McCaffrey had a dominant 2019 campaign with the Carolina Panthers and was certainly a candidate for the MVP trophy. Had the Panthers been a playoff team, McCaffrey’s MVP case would certainly have been bolstered quite a bit. Regardless, the Panthers superstar is considered by many to be the best running back in the NFL and now, he is about to be paid like it.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, McCaffrey was just signed to a four-year contract extension worth upwards of $16 million per season. This makes him the highest-paid running back in NFL history, surpassing Ezekiel Elliott who broke the record with his contract, last season.

“I’m so excited to continue my career in Carolina,” McCaffrey said. “I want to thank Mr. Tepper, Marty Hurney, and Coach Rhule for the opportunity to help lead this great franchise, and to all my teammates for their help along the way.”

Typically, running backs have to hold out if they want their money but McCaffrey got his right away. Clearly, the Panthers understand just how valuable he is to the franchise, especially after the departure of Cam Newton.

For now, it remains to be seen whether or not this extension pays off for the Panthers in the long term, especially with how quickly running backs hit their decline.