PFF: Why the Carolina Panthers should trade for DeAndre Hopkins

[TheSpecialJuan]

One move I argued Carolina should have made in the offseason, and still makes sense, is trading for DeAndre Hopkins.

Panthers fans railed against this idea in the offseason, but the first seven weeks of the season have explained why it makes sense. No, Hopkins doesn’t make sense to pair with Young as a receiver-quarterback connection that can grow together and dominate the league for a decade. Sometimes, you just need viability while your signal-caller develops.

Andy Dalton showed how far away Young is from that when he came in and everything in the Panthers' offense worked better. Dalton has 15 years of veteran experience to draw upon to counter the disadvantages he’s dealing with in terms of supporting cast. Young doesn’t.

Hopkins would bring value to Young even as a short-term rental or a bridge option. — just somebody to throw to he can have confidence in.

Even if this was definitively a worse move for the Panthers now than it would have been in the offseason — when they didn’t have to give up any trade collateral — that isn't a reason to prevent them from going for it. The original opportunity is gone, but there is no sense in passing up the deal the second time around when it would still benefit the team.

There is a positive to doing it this way as well, though. While Carolina would now need to offer a draft pick to Tennessee to get Hopkins, they don’t have to pay him the full contract value that they would have had they signed him as a free agent.

The Titans have already paid Hopkins a near-$10 million signing bonus, and he is essentially playing this season for the veteran minimum in salary. One reason teams balked at the prospect of signing Hopkins in the offseason was the cost, and the Titans solved that problem for any team interested in trading for him now.

The question for those teams becomes: Is Hopkins, playing for the veteran minimum in salary cost, worth more than the draft pick needed to give up to acquire him?

For Carolina especially, the answer is yes.

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-carolina-panthers-trade-deandre-hopkins-tennessee-titans

[RJK]

The seasons tanked. They should only be sellers 

[LinvilleGorge]

This team does not need to be trading draft assets for players on the wrong side of 30.

[thunderraiden]

Second dumbest move of the offseason was passing on D Hopkins to pair with Young. Easily could have afforded him.

First dumbest move was giving up Dj Moore in the first place. Get pick #3 and this season is completely different. Probably still get Bryce too lol.

Edited October 25, 2023 by thunderraiden

[Basbear]

if somehow a slowing 31 non-burner WR is on the menu, just wait until the off-season and sign without wasting the 5th rounder in a 0-6 seasons start. 

shocked at panthers beat reports and trade articles. then i remember theres no longer common sense among everyone now....

[Castavar]

I was told we didn't need Hopkins during the offseason.

Man, we should have went hard after him during the offseason. Pairing him with Theilen would have truly been a decent veteran 1-2 punch at WR for Bryce.

[Leeroy Jenkins Ph.D.]

OMFG NO. STOP IT. If this 0-6 team trades away anything for a player prior to the trade deadline, Fitterer needs to be fired immediately. We will have plenty of cap space to make moves in the off-season. 

It's like going to Vegas and gambling away all your spending money. Pulling from the kids college fund isn't going to turn your luck around. It will only dig a deeper hole. Hold tight, enjoy your prepaid shows. There will be other vacations. 

[amcoolio]

They should have known TMJ was really bad and Mingo not ready (well looking like a straight bust at this point). Count that as another mail in the coffin for Fitterer, who said we were fine at WR. 

[frankw]

We should have made a run at him but that ship has long sailed now.

Only thing left from here is to hope the oline can give Bryce Young some breathing room. Gotta work with what we've got. Make it happen.

[Johnstonny]

12 minutes ago, Leeroy Jenkins Ph.D. said:

OMFG NO. STOP IT. If this 0-6 team trades away anything for a player prior to the trade deadline, Fitterer needs to be fired immediately. We will have plenty of cap space to make moves in the off-season. 

It's like going to Vegas and gambling away all your spending money. Pulling from the kids college fund isn't going to turn your luck around. It will only dig a deeper hole. Hold tight, enjoy your prepaid shows. There will be other vacations. 

Aside from giving CHI the number one pick next draft I'm not sure what else he has planned...Hes in way over his head.....

[Davidson Deac II]

While we are at it, we should see what KC wants for Mahomes.  

[SmokinwithWilly]

The rumor was Hopkins didn't want to play with a rookie QB and only wanted to go to a team that would be in contention. Carolina is definitely neither of those things. We could trade for Nuke, but would he even want to be here? We didn't want him when he was free (no picks). Why trade for him now?

[tukafan21]

1 hour ago, thunderraiden said:

Second dumbest move of the offseason was passing on D Hopkins to pair with Young. Easily could have afforded him.

First dumbest move was giving up Dj Moore in the first place. Get pick #3 and this season is completely different. Probably still get Bryce too lol.

Not really, we could have afforded him if we waited on getting a #1 instead of giving Chark his contract.

Once we did that, we couldn't justify the cost plus lack of snaps it would have given TMJ and Mingo.

But now that we see TMJ is a total bust and Chark is kinda trash, it's different, particularly with how poor Bryce as looked, we need to get him improving THIS season and not wait till next.

[ForJimmy]

What am I missing? He has 376 yards and 0 TDs. Do they want a conditional 6th/7th for him?