GarthMcGrath

This is probably the reason we traded up. Had to make sure no one else out there was also wanting Legette so it forced them up a spot. It worked out that the Bills were the team with the relationship between them and Dan. 
 

I thought it was a shrewd move by Legette to let the rest of the league know that if they want him, they better get him in first round. But looks like it was just a really honest answer.

Dan and Dave were 100% sold on XL.

The fifth year option is in place.

And honestly, if Fitterer was still involved he probably would have gotten scared and traded up to 28 or higher and given up even more.

Let’s go Game….I mean Panthers!

I think we have made a series of poor decisions but when you say we traded 3 players you have to consider that two were on second contracts and one wanted 30 mil/yr. Bryce and the two picks salaries are a fraction of the others so you would have to list out the players we could afford to pay with that saved money as well. Still doesn’t equal out but it definitely needs to be considered.

There is also the possibility that Brian Burns just did not want to be here and was not going to accept any deal. Fitterer may not have even known that a year and a half ago. But now you take what you can get. The current management shouldn't be held responsible for what did not happen in 2022.

You have to look at it like this, you can trade Burns for 2 2nds, but you are also trading that salary away. So how does Brian Burns for Robert Hunt and 2 2nds sound? Pretty darn good.

So Justin Fields is not going to Raiders?? Where will he end up? 

Pay the linemen!! I am good with this. Trade Burns for a first-rounder plus a sweetener and you can afford it easily. Then draft a WR and Edge with first two picks.

Whoa and on cue we sign Robert Hunt!!!! That is awesome. That was the one position (either that or center) I was really hoping we would sign today.

3 minutes ago, MHS831 said:

It is easy to throw Bryce out, but he could not have had worse conditions last year.  expected to pass from the pocket with no protection up the middle.

However, as I watch the film,  I see an offensive line that was totally confused.  Tom Brady in his prime would have sucked here.  I have not given up on Young---

 

3 minutes ago, 45catfan said:

...for 2024.  Morgan is playing the long game. He probably even told Tepper in his interview it would at least take one season of cleaning house to get the roster heading in the right direction.

3 minutes ago, ForJimmy said:

They are all 3 either 30 or turning 30 this year.  Bozeman was a liability, Bell was a ok, and Hurst was below average.  This mid-level vets tying up cap space are gone.  I expect a youth movement to try to inspire this team to play with some passion.  

Three really good comments. We may look back at this offseason as one of the best in Panther history based off what we DON'T do.

We are killing it today! So far we have signed:

-Troy Hill

But yes if you do draft the QB it sends a message to Bryce that we are not 100% confident in you, and that could be detrimental. So I take it back. Do not draft a QB. But if they did, man that would be very interesting.

3 minutes ago, 45catfan said:

As much as I would like that, it ain't happening.  Bryce is getting this year to prove himself.  No serious competition.   That's why I want to sign (FA or trade) a younger QB this year to compete next year after Dalton is gone.  Andy isn't in the long term plans and drafting a rookie next year isn't appealing.  We aren't cutting Bryce even in 2025, so the best thing to do if he doesn't drastically improve this year is give him legit competition for next season.

Yeah I agree with all of that for sure! My only other thought is that Bryce may have been fortunate to have survived this year from a physical standpoint, and there were over 60 starting QBs last year, partly because of injury. If we have another young QB in the wings that gets to jump in if Bryce gets hurt, and that QB does very well, we either have our new QB or at very least a tradable asset.

I know Bryce is the plan but I would be happy with us drafting a QB in the 2nd or 3rd if we can accumulate more draft capital either by trading Burns and/or trading down from 33. 

Part of me is excited to see who we sign but it would be better to take the year off, clean the ledger, accumulate draft capital, and allow Canales to develop who we have and start developing a culture. Maybe the players we had were just utilized incorrectly or not developed properly. An actual good coach may have taken this roster to 6-8 wins last year, there is just no way of knowing! 2025 you can open the checkbook.

30 minutes ago, The Lobo said:

Extra bonus. Hiring Canales away hurts Tampa Bay.

Not only did we spend the picks on Corral and Young, we traded 4 other picks for Darnold and Mayfield. Those picks were almost identical to the four picks we received for CMC. And now that I’ve said that out loud, I am angry at this team yet again. So we basically traded CMC, DJ Moore, the 1 overall pick in 2024, another first and a second for Bryce Young, Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield.

Why keep Morgan again? I mean if he was good enough to be a GM then why hasn’t any other team interviewed him for the position. We really need to clean house in the front office. It seems like we make too many decisions based on sentiment and history (Morgan, Reich) or on locality (Ickey, Horn) recently. Only one we didn’t was Wilks.

I hate the first week or so of the search process because it takes a little while to get going and there is so much rumor and guessing going on. Real info won’t start until the next couple weeks. Anyone remember how fast the Panthers were compared to everyone else on the last cycle?

Seems logical to hire coach first who should dictate the type of offense and defense they want to run then let them help determine the person they think they could work best with to achieve their vision. Especially if you have search firm or consultant assisting in the interview process anyways.

I would love Harbaugh here. Need someone with a spine. And I think he would get us back to Panther football. I try to convince myself that he really does have interest in coming here. Maybe the reason this job would appeal to him more than the Raiders or Chargers is that we are NFC and would give him the opportunity to play in Super Bowl against his brother again. Yes I know we are not ready for Super Bowl obviously but if that is important to him, that potential eliminates half the league.

And basically whoever the coach is should have the option to interview Fitterer and if they do not think he is the right GM, then fire him then. But why fire him now if the new coach felt he would be a good GM.

It may make more sense to keep Fitterer as he seems to be very connected in the league and you ultimately need someone to handle the financial side of the roster. But our coach should have say over the roster composition so that the scheme will mesh with the players. I think Jim Harbaugh would be a good fit as he is a strong personality, his scheme would fit our existing roster more closely and matches our historical identity, and he can build the roster in his image and let Fetterer handle negotiations. Every personnel decision including trades should be Harbaugh’s final decision. 

Where was it reported that he was added to the roster? His comeback story would make some headlines on the sports sites but I have not seen anything.

If we go Sean Payton and give up draft capital then I would hope that Derek Carr would look at the situation and see a good foundational roster (especially the O-Line and above average defense), relatively easy division, and probable Hall of Fame head coach and decide to come here to find that championship he said he is hungry for. If I was Payton I would already be talking to Carr to see what he is thinking because they could go somewhere together. Some talking heads mentioned Tom Brady as the package deal QB but I would rather have Carr. If Payton can get Carr looking like the potential league MVP from a few years back then I would love to see what they could do together.

If Panthers were to cough up the #9 pick this year for Payton then they shouldn't give up anything else period. You could look at Derek Carr as our first round pick, and he would be better than any of the guys coming out this year, at least over the next couple years. Let Corral keep developing.