Well, maybe Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer really is in on every deal — even if he’s not always “overly aggressive.”
In continuing his case for this season’s Most Valuable Player award on Christmas night, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson reignited the conversation about his availability this past spring. Numerous passer-needy teams were, once again, criticized for their lack of serious interest in the electric game-changer.
Among those teams were the Carolina Panthers — who, according to a report Sunday morning by ESPN’s Adam Schefter — showed interest in acquiring Jackson this past spring. Schefter writes:
The two teams known to have inquired about Jackson’s services were the Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers, according to league sources, but neither team got overly aggressive with Jackson, and neither came close to signing him to an offer sheet that the Ravens would have had a chance to match.
Even if the Panthers had gotten Jackson to agree to a deal, the Ravens would’ve had the opportunity to match it and bring the 26-year-old superstar back. And if the Ravens decided not to match — which was an unlikely prospect, anyway — the Panthers would’ve had to relinquish a pair of first-round picks as part of the deal.
In the end, Jackson and the Ravens landed on a five-year, $260 million extension. The Panthers, not too long after, landed on Bryce Young with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 draft.
