No one can accuse Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer of not doing his due diligence.
A new report from The Athletic‘s Joe Person, Adam Jahns and Kevin Fishbain on Monday—one that detailed the inner workings of the deal that gave the Panthers control of the 2023 NFL draft—revealed Fitterer and company weren’t only gunning straight for the top of the queue. Before acquiring the first overall pick from the Chicago Bears, Carolina explored moving into the third and fifth overall spots.
The deep dive reads:
He [Fitterer] had discussions with Arizona and Seattle about the No. 3 and No. 5 picks, respectively. Fitterer spent two decades in the Seahawks’ front office and remains close with GM John Schneider, but the talks for the fifth pick never intensified.
The Panthers weren’t alone in wanting to jump to No. 1, and they sensed there would be competition. Indeed, Poles said a “wave” of teams checked in after Carolina. The Bears had calls with QB-needy teams throughout the draft — not only in the top 10, where three were willing to discuss potential compensation.
The Athletic, in a prior report from Tashan Reed and Jeff Howe, also makes note of that wave—which included the Las Vegas Raiders. They, however, ultimately shied away from meeting Chicago’s “steep” price.
Since then, the Raiders—who may still be in the market for a young passer—signed free agent and former San Francisco 49ers starter Jimmy Garoppolo. And as for the Panthers, the price obviusly wasn’t too steep for their taste.
