On Monday, the Carolina Panthers parted ways with head coach Matt Rhule. So, will they now look to part ways with some of their players as well?
According to a few reporters in the know, that could be the case with the league’s trade deadline less than a month away. FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer notes:
Teams will now be calling the Panthers trying to trade for some of their players as they hope Carolina will look to stockpile picks as they rebuild
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) October 10, 2022
CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones is on it, too:
“Now that the dam has broken on the trade market prior to the Nov. 1 deadline, and now that the Carolina Panthers have fired their head coach after just one win in five games, teams are expected to be dialing the 704 area code to see what players the Panthers may want to off-load,” he writes.
“Teams have been sniffing around the Panthers in recent weeks, checking their pulse on the good, young players on the roster. I expect teams to place calls on Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore, Brian Burns and Derrick Brown.”
The desire to trade away veteran players makes sense. Carolina only has four draft picks in 2023, and a new coaching staff and/or front office will likely want more than that to rebuild this team their way.
Moreover, the Carolina brass may decide to enter a full-on rebuild after being enticed by some of the top college quarterback prospects available this year. Even though it’s still early, the Panthers are currently in possession of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft—something that could hold if the team continues its struggles and shops off a few of its top veterans.
As Jones specifically stated, McCaffrey could be at the top of that list. After all, the sixth-year rusher is undeniably the best player on the team.
In 2019, the Stanford product led the league with 2,392 yards from scrimmage, enough to earn him a First-Team All-Pro selection and a third-place finish in AP Offensive Player of the Year voting. Throughout his career, McCaffrey has amassed 3,911 rushing yards and 3,203 receiving yards while adding 50 total touchdowns. Even in 2022, the versatile back has been one of the few bright spots on a struggling Panthers offense.
However, injuries sidelined McCaffrey for multiple weeks in the previous two campaigns. After signing a four-year, $64 million contract, the star missed 23 of a possible 33 games between 2020 and 2021. While a potential trade partner would have to take on his massive salary, they would also be getting one of the league’s best offensive weapons in exchange for draft capital.
So don’t be shocked if he, Moore, Burns, Brown and/or Robbie Anderson—just to name a handful—pop up in some rumors over the next few weeks.
