The Carolina Panthers’ decision to fire head coach Matt Rhule after less than three full seasons speaks to what promises to be an extensive rebuild in Charlotte.
Rhule was 11-27 in his time with the Panthers, struggling to help this team return to relevance on the broader NFL stage. Once news of his firing became public record, Fox Sports’ NFL insider Jay Glazer noted that teams will be calling Carolina about potential deals for their veteran players ahead of the Nov. 1 NFL trade deadline.
Despite their disastrous 1-4 start to the season and a brutal 37-15 home loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5, these Panthers have a number of players who could be of interest to other teams. In the process, they could acquire future draft picks and/or young players to help jump start what will likely be a long-term rebuild. Below, we look at five ideal Panthers trade scenarios ahead of the deadline in a couple weeks.
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Carolina Panthers trade Taylor Moton to the Las Vegas Raiders
- Panthers get: 2023 second-round pick, 2024 third-round pick
- Raiders get: Taylor Moton
In addition to stockpiling draft picks for their rebuild, the Panthers are going to want to cut some of their long-term salaries. Having signed Moton to a four-year, $71.25 million extension back in July of 2021, their starting right tackle could potentially be on the block.
Seen as one of the better right tackles in the NFL, Moton has started 70 games since the start of the 2018 season. According to Pro Football Focus, Moton ranks fourth among NFL tackles in both sacks and QB hits allowed since the start of last season. We already know that Vegas has a major need at right tackle in front of Derek Carr. While taking on Moton’s contract would be tricky, he’d be a major upgrade over what Josh McDaniels and Co. currently have.
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Xavier Woods sent packing to the Buffalo Bills
- Panthers get: 2023 third-round pick
- Bills get: Xavier Woods
This isn’t the player Bills fans might want from Carolina should the Panthers go into full-scale fire-sale mode. But Woods would make a ton of sense given the season-ending injury Pro Bowl safety Micah Hyde suffered back in Week 2. He’d also come cheap from both a compensation and salary cap standpoint. Thus far this season, Woods is yielding a 56% completion mark and 76.2 QB rating when targeted. That’s pretty darn good.
From Carolina’s perspective, moving off a veteran in Woods who has two more years left on his contract would be a sell-high proposition. Adding a third-round pick to the mix moving forward certainly wouldn’t hurt from a rebuild perspective, either.
Carolina Panthers trade Robbie Anderson to the New York Giants
- Panthers get: 2023 fifth-round pick
- Giants get: Robbie Anderson
The New York Football Giants find themselves at a shocking 4-1 heading into a Week 6 clash with the Baltimore Ravens. To say that first-year head coach Brian Daboll has done an amazing job with this team would be an understatement. It might now make sense for general manager Joe Schoen to get his head coach more talent as New York prepares for a potential playoff run.
That’s where Anderson comes into play. The veteran slot guy has long been on the trade block and would be a marked upgrade over Richie James on a Giants wide receiver group that is missing both depth and proven talent. While Anderson has struggled to an extent this season (13 receptions in five games), he’s a former 1,000-yard receiver and would give Daniel Jones a legitimate option out of the slot.
Carolina has absolutely no need for Anderson moving forward. He’s about to hit 30 years old and has a $21.72 million cap hit for the 2022 season. There’s no reason to believe that the veteran would restructure his contract for a rebuilding team like he’s more than likely to do in Jersey.
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Brian Burns heads to the Kansas City Chiefs in a blockbuster
- Panthers get: George Karlaftis, 2023 first-round pick, 2024 second-round pick
- Chiefs get: Brian Burns
At just 24 years old, some might think that Burns could help anchor a rebuild in Carolina. That’s until we realize the all-world pass rusher will be entering the final year of his rookie deal in 2023 and is going to demand well north of $20 million annually on a long-term deal. Why dole out that type of cash if one player isn’t going to make you a legitimate playoff contender?
Brian Burns stats (2019-2022): 61 QB hits, 32 tackles for loss, 29.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles
As you can see, Burns is among the best young edge pass rushers in the game. It’s an area the championship-contending Chiefs might want to address moving forward especially with Frank Clark’s future in Kansas City firmly up in the air. We also know general manager Brett Veach has not been afraid to pull off the blockbuster trade in the past.
In return, the Carolina Panthers add a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, a future second-round selection and a young edge rusher in George Karlaftis who was the 30th pick this past April. This would be a home run move for embattled general manager Scott Fitterer.
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Carolina Panthers deal Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers
- Panthers get: Elijah Mitchell, 2023 second-round pick, 2024 second-round pick
- 49ers get: Christian McCaffrey
A rebuilding team should not have a high-priced running back. Regardless of how dynamic he is when on the field, McCaffrey’s impact in Carolina will be limited should the team opt to blow it up. With three more seasons remaining on his current four-year, $64 million contract following the 2022 season, CMC is an obvious trade candidate here.
Enter into the equation a 49ers team that would be an ideal fit for the dual-threat back. Imagine McCaffrey teaming up with Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. San Francisco has made it clear that the team is going all in. Despite lacking a ton of draft capital moving forward due to the Trey Lance trade, this is a move the team could make. It would also take some salary cap gymnastics, but that’s what general manager John Lynch and Co. are there for.