Carolina Panthers Should Have Trade-Deadline Fire Sale; Where Could Everyone Land?
On Monday, the Carolina Panthers fired head coach Matt Rhule. It was a move that perhaps came several months too late, but after a 1-4 start to the season, it surprised no one. Steve Wilks takes over as the interim coach, and while he may provide a spark, the Panthers are very much looking ahead to 2023.
Or, at least, Carolina should be. The team's biggest issue—the lack of a franchise quarterback—remains. Sam Darnold isn't the answer. Based on his play through the first five weeks of 2022, Baker Mayfield isn't either. A quarterback in the 2023 draft, be it C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young or someone else, could be.
Moving a few pieces ahead of the Nov. 1 trade deadline could help ensure that Carolina has the draft capital needed to get its guy. Of course, the Panthers insist that they won't be big sellers at the deadline.
"The Panthers, who are 1-4 this season and went 11-27 under Rhule, aren’t in fire-sale mode," The Athletic's Jeff Howe wrote.
However, we've decided to have a little fun and take a look at how a Panthers fire sale might look. Below, we'll examine seven players Carolina could and should consider moving, why they're prime trade candidates and logical landing spots for each of them. While it's all hypothetical, we will keep these proposed trades within the realm of realism.
Players are listed in alphabetical order.
WR Robbie Anderson
1 of 7
Trade Partner: Los Angeles Rams
Wideout Robbie Anderson is a player Carolina should consider trading even if it doesn't hold a fire sale. He hasn't been a huge part of the offense this season (206 yards, 1 TD), and the Temple alum's two-year, $29.5 million contract was clearly a product of the Rhule regime—Rhule also coached Anderson in college.
Trading Anderson would save just over $1 million off the 2022 cap but would clear his $22 million cap hit from the 2023 ledger.
Anderson's $1 million base salary is reasonable, making him a logical target for the Los Angeles Rams. L.A. has struggled to identify a reliable No. 2 option next to Cooper Kupp and has $5.1 million in cap space available.
The Rams may use that money to bring back free agent Odell Beckham Jr.
"We have constant dialogue," Rams coach Sean McVay said, per ESPN's Sarah Barshop. "He also knows that certainly I don't think that's the last [offer] that would come from us."
However, the Panthers should call and offer Anderson before L.A. makes another move at receiver. While he wouldn't bring much in return—likely a late Day 3 pick—trading him would provide more financial flexibility in the offseason.
DE Brian Burns
2 of 7
Trade Partner: Las Vegas Raiders
There is a financial element to potentially trading pass-rusher Brian Burns. The 2019 first-round pick will play on the fifth-year option in 2023, and a trade would absolve Carolina of having to pay a big second contract.
However, the biggest reason to trade Burns would be the return. The 2021 Pro Bowler is again playing at a high level and has four sacks and 11 quarterback pressures on the season. The Panthers could reasonably ask for a first-round pick and perhaps more in a trade.
An extra first-rounder could be huge if Carolina needs to trade up to draft a quarterback.
The Las Vegas Raiders have $9.1 million in cap space available and could desperately use the pass-rushing assistance. Prized free-agent addition Chandler Jones has yet to produce a sack, and Las Vegas has only eight of them this year.
At 1-4, the Raiders are in serious danger of falling out of the AFC West race. Bringing in another sack artist is exactly the sort of win-now move that could help turn things around. It's also the sort of move that we know general manager Dave Ziegler is willing to make.
Ziegler dealt first- and second-round picks to the Green Bay Packers to get Davante Adams in the offseason.
DE Marquis Haynes
3 of 7
Trade Partner: Los Angeles Chargers
Pass-rusher Marquis Haynes wouldn't bring the sort of return that Burns would, but he might be easier to deal at the deadline. As more of a part-time playmaker than a key contributor, Haynes could serve as a fine depth piece for a team with playoff aspirations. Playing on a two-year, $5.5 million contract, his deal would be easy to absorb too.
While Haynes doesn't have a sack this season, he does have 11 quarterback pressures and a defensive touchdown. An early Day 3 pick would be a reasonable ask in a trade.
The Los Angeles Chargers should be quick to jump on Haynes if he's available. Star pass-rusher Joey Bosa is on injured reserve with a groin injury and is expected to miss at least a month, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.
Even if Bosa makes a speedy recovery, L.A. could use the pass-rushing depth. Like the Raiders, the 3-2 Chargers are looking up at the Kansas City Chiefs in the division and could use the defensive boost.
Despite having Bosa for three games and a healthy Khalil Mack for all five, the Chargers have logged a good-not-great 11 sacks on the season. Adding another pass-rusher to the rotation would be big.
.jpg?w=256 "Bills Jaguars Football")
DL Matt Ioannidis
4 of 7
Trade Partner: Cleveland Browns
Trading defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis would be about maximizing the value of an impending free agent. Ioannidis signed this offseason on a one-year, $9.5 million deal and may choose to walk away from a rebuilding franchise in 2023.
Ioannidis (11 tackles, one sack) has been a fine role player in Carolina this season, but he's unlikely to bring much, if anything, in the way of a compensatory pick. The formula for compensatory picks is complicated but would require the Panthers to lose more qualifying free agents than they sign in the offseason. High comp picks are generally only awarded when teams lose a Pro Bowl talent—which Ioannidis is not.
However, he is a solid interior run defender who would likely bring a fifth- or sixth-round pick in a trade. The Cleveland Browns, who traded for Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones last Sunday, would be an ideal landing spot.
Cleveland lacks reliable depth at defensive tackle and has been embarrassed on the ground over the past two weeks. In losses to the Falcons and Chargers, the Browns surrendered 442 rushing yards.
Ioannidis could help fill the gaps between pass-rushers Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney in Cleveland. The Browns also lead the league with $35.1 million in cap space.
CB Donte Jackson
5 of 7
Trade Partner: Miami Dolphins
Cornerback Donte Jackson is another player who could be moved purely for a high return. One of the league's more underrated defenders, Jackson is a reliable starter who could realistically bring a third- or even a second-round pick in return.
Jackson has allowed an opposing passer rating of only 83.4 in coverage this season.
Trading Jackson would save $2.2 million off the 2022 cap but would trigger dead-cap charges of $3.9 million this year and $7.3 million in 2023. However, his $1 million base salary would be easy to flip to a contender.
The Miami Dolphins could desperately use secondary help. Miami has gone from 3-0 to 3-2, and poor pass defense has been a massive part of the problem. The Dolphins rank 28th in passing yards allowed and 31st in yards per attempt surrendered (7.5).
Cornerback Byron Jones remains on the physically unable to perform list while recovering from offseason Achilles surgery. Jackson would serve as a great fill-in for Jones and could help Miami get back to playing winning football.
LB Cory Littleton
6 of 7
Trade Partner: Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers would also be a logical landing spot for linebacker Cory Littleton. The 28-year-old is a solid run defender who can also perform well in pass coverage.
Littleton has notched 18 tackles this season while playing a rotational role (41 percent of the snaps) and has allowed an opposing passer rating of only 81.2 in coverage. Los Angeles, meanwhile, has arguably the weakest run defense in the league.
The Chargers have allowed a whopping 5.8 yards per carry this season, the most in the NFL. That's a huge problem for a team hoping to compete for a championship. Littleton could help address it, and as a bonus, he'd bring extensive AFC West experience to the table.
Littleton spent the last two seasons playing for Las Vegas. He's gone up against divisional ball-carriers such as Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Melvin Gordon III, and he knows the tendencies of quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Derek Carr.
While Littleton probably wouldn't bring much in return—another Day 3 selection—he's set to be a free agent next season and will likely bring nothing if he simply signs elsewhere.
RB Christian McCaffrey
7 of 7
Trade Partner: Buffalo Bills
According to Jeff Howe, the Panthers don't want to trade running back Christian McCaffrey.
"General manager Scott Fitterer's history suggests he'd never rule out an avenue that could improve the roster, either in the short or long term, but the Panthers don't intend to move the face of their franchise," Howe wrote.
If the Panthers can move McCaffrey, though, they should. He's been a quality starter this season, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, but he hasn't performed like the explosive dual-threat he was in 2019. The 26-year-old is also about to get very expensive.
McCaffrey is in the first year of a four-year, $64.1 million extension that he signed in 2020. He has a base salary of just $1 million this season, but that number balloons to $11.8 million next year. The Panthers would likely have to find a way to absorb the $27.1 million in dead money remaining on McCaffrey's deal, but they'd stand to save a lot in the long run.
The Buffalo Bills reached out to Carolina about McCaffrey in the offseason, per Joe Person of The Athletic. If they're still interested, a trade would make sense. Buffalo ranks 14th in rushing, but it's worth noting that quarterback Josh Allen has accounted for 225 of the team's 582 rushing yards. McCaffrey could bolster the Bills' backfield.
Given McCaffrey's good-not-great production and injury history, Carolina probably won't get a first-round pick in return. It could probably net a Day 2 selection, though, and rid itself of a pricy contract over the next three seasons.
With only $1 million of McCaffrey's 2023 salary guaranteed for injury, Buffalo could essentially view him as a one-year rental and then move on if it so chooses.
Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference. Contract and cap information via Spotrac.
.jpg?w=480 "Bills Jaguars Football")
