Raleigh PF

Here's how I see it playing out... Chicago trades back first with Houston and then with Indy. The Panthers trade with Arizona. So, the draft order becomes Houston, Indy, Carolina, Chicago. Each team gets what they want and Chicago walks away with a boatload of future picks.

Yeah, the PC thing for GMs to do is talk about how they always want to select the BPA. Bullshit. The best strategy is getting the best value for the pick. That means making selections that make the best economic sense AND fit the philosophy of the coaching staff. The most expensive positions in the NFL are QB, DL, WR and Edge, which is why we typically see those positions come off the board quickly. There are exceptions for unicorns like CMC but even that pick has been questioned. Draft early to fill the most expensive positions unless you find a unicorn. Robinson is going to be a very good RB, but I don't think he's a unicorn.

From Wikipedia... "David Wesley was charged in 2000 with misdemeanor reckless driving in the crash that killed his friend and teammate Bobby Phills. A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police report said Phills was speeding at more than 100 mph (160 km/h) when Phills lost control and crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with a car. The report said both Phills and Wesley were driving "in an erratic, reckless, careless, negligent and/or aggressive manner".[9] In a non-jury trial, a judge acquitted Wesley of the charge of racing Phills.[10]"

Gesicki seems like a Swiss Army knife to me. Can do some things well, but isn't great at anything. As a TE, his blocking is a liability. No other way to say it. As a WR, he's not a burner. However, by signing him, the Panthers accomplish two things - they sign a WR and a TE. Gesicki seems to know how to get open, much like Greg Olsen did. Olsen was a great TE, but he was no burner. He developed into a competent blocker the older he got. It could be that Gesicki best fills that role.

Thinking about the Bears and their #1 pick... If they have tunnel vision, then they set their sites on Anderson/Carter and don't move down beyond the 4th pick. But that would be silly. They aren't winning anything next year. What they need is an infusion of talent - more quality picks, really. They can get that if they first trade with the Colts, which likely lands them a first-rounder+ next year. Then they trade back again with the Panthers which likely nets them another first round pick and more. They could set themselves up nicely for the next couple of drafts, if they wanted, and could be in the driver's seat for next year's QB crop along with SEVERAL other pieces. So, I don't believe they are not considering trading back as far as the Panthers pick, but they have to at least seem like they won't to drive up the price. If it happens that the QB the Panthers want is at 4, I don't think they'd hesitate to pull the trigger.

I say this partially in jest, but I'm still waiting for that first, highly-touted Ohio State franchise QB to emerge. Ain't happened yet. We look at players as simply plug-n-play. Fantasy fodder. There's a lot going on for a guy in his early 20's being hit with life-changing money, status and options. Not all of them are ready to make the best decisions.

Let's accept that the 49ers busted on their Trey Lance pick. Doesn't seem like they are suffering all that bad for it, at the moment. On the contrary, I'm sure they're an org a good number of FA QBs would like to play for. I think the Panthers are working to build something similar.

Okay, let's say they pull the trigger, dump all the draft picks on the Bears and find out that the QB they chose isn't any good? Does that mean they are hamstrung for years to come? Not necessarily. The Panthers have been in cap hell for so long we don't know what it's like to have options. Even if they bust the pick this year, they are going to have a pretty good amount of cap room available in the next couple of years. It's not the end of the world if they muff the pick. Wouldn't feel good, but so be it.

IIRC, the prediction for the 2021 draft was Lawrence at 1, Fields at 2 and potentially two other QBs going in the top-10. By the time the combine shook out and players had their pro days, things changed. All of the sudden, Wilson and Lance were the hot targets and Fields dropped off. My point is, I seriously doubt these four QBs go in the first six picks. Free agency is going to weed out the teams in the top 10 who decide to sign a vet and have the cap space for it. There will be choices for the Panthers at 9, I have no doubt. I'd be happy to have one of those choices and maybe resign Darnold or sign Brissett until either Corral or the new draft pick step up.

That's a myth. Players setup "residences" in tax friendly states all the time. The season is four months long (five months with playoffs). As long as they file a request with the Panthers to tax them based on their state of residence instead of where they work, it's not an issue. https://optimataxrelief.com/live-work-pay-taxes/#:~:text=You must file a request,two state income tax returns.

Unpopular opinion? DJack and Shaq are not the leaders the Panthers need, are over-rated and they are a drag on the salary cap. Getting any draft capital for them should be high on the priority list.

I really don't care as long as the coach has a good offensive background (former OC, etc.). I'm more convinced than ever that having a coach with this background paired with a good OC is where the money is. This is an offensive-prioritized league. Just look at the rule changes over the last 20 or so years. Probably would be a good idea to have the coach and OC developing an offense that can move the ball consistently. DC's can be found all over the place. Some are better than others, but all are crap if the offense is terrible.

Ima just leave this here... https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2023/01/17/could-sean-payton-tom-brady-join-forces-in-carolina/

If they play everyone and treat it like a playoff game, it indicates the team has NOT told Wilkes he has the job and he believes winning tomorrow is important to add to his resume. If many of the stars sit, it would seem to indicate the opposite. I'd kinda like to see the Harbaugh/Fitterer option.

If they treat the circumstances around the game as an "Act of God", then they simply have to consider the game never happened and move on. Issue refunds to the fans who attended the game. It's the path of least resistance (which the NFL tends to favor).

If I were game-planning against the Panthers at this point, I would throw 8 or 9 in the box and dare Sam Darnold to make a critical pass. Teams have not taken the Panthers seriously, but with the Panthers establishing an actual game plan the last few weeks, they are going to have to now. The games are winnable on paper, but I'm having a hard time believing a team that has won 5 games all year is suddenly going to go 6-0 or 5-1 to close out the schedule.

DJack was always overrated because of his speed. He should have been traded for a decent pick when they had the chance.

Exactly this. I'm particularly interested in who they would bring on to work specifically with the two young QBs the Panthers are likely to have next year.

IIRC, the comment Tepper made about going to a turf field didn't involve JUST money savings. The issue is, they wanted to open up BoA to more events. Doing so is going to result in damage to a grass field. I can remember more than a few occasions an event happened on a Saturday before a Panthers game and the field was a mess. Rain might have been involved, but the fact remains, more events means a tougher time maintaining a field that is worthy of professional athletes. I'm not sure what a better solution is. My personal opinion is everyone not under a dome should have grass, but I can understand why this decision was made.

According to the board, the Panthers need to: - Go after Bradley Chubb. - Go after Josh Allen (no, not THAT Josh Allen). - Trade for TJ Hockenson. - Better manage the salary cap. - Trade Brian Burns/DJ Moore. - Don't trade Burns/Moore. - Make sure there are enough quality draft picks to move up in the draft for a QB. - Also draft Will Anderson. - Lose enough games to get a Top-5 pick. - Win enough games to take the South. This board has a serious case of OCD/ADHD. Oh look! Squirrel!!!

Sometimes, teams cater too much to their superstar players and forget that it really does take a team to win. Seems like the Panthers fell into that pattern. Trading CMC is going to be a blessing in that they now have to have a fully developed offense. And teams can't just camp on the star anymore. I have no illusions that the Panthers are a playoff team, but I think it proves good QB play is more beneficial than any other position on the field. Not RB nor WR, good QB play. Will be happy if CMC is successful in San Fran, but I think we'll see addition by subtraction here.

The offer was likely from a playoff contender and likely spanned over a couple of years, meaning the picks were 25th or worse.

Let's be clear. Fitterer and Morgan will submit their choice for coach to Tepper for his final approval. I'd expect Tepper to 'voir dire' the potential coach and either give his thumbs up or down. Doesn't mean Tepper is going to interview all of them, just the one(s) that Fitterer puts before him.

And you don't trade away draft picks so you can get that replacement level player on the cheap. Shaq is maybe a little better than average, but he's not a game-changer. Teams don't gameplan around him. I'd be ecstatic if the Panthers got a 3rd rounder for him, but I may be shooting a bit high.

Good thing the Panthers didn't sign them to a new deal... Both of them are going to have to go away. Yes, the Panthers need QB1, but they also need to cut the dead weight and that means players that are going through the motions or are continually injured (whether the injury is real or not).