For nine seasons, all of the questions surrounding the Carolina Panthers and the quarterback position involved Cam Newton.
From being selected first overall in 2011 to injuries to successful seasons to a rocky end and everything in between, he was the face of the franchise for nearly a decade. After moving on from Newton less than a year ago, Teddy Bridgewater was signed to take over the starting role.
That move has not worked out how the Panthers hoped. He was brought in with the idea that he would quickly fill in and be comfortable in coordinator Joe Brady’s offense due to the pair’s familiarity despite a reduced offseason. He could be a bridge to the next quarterback, but he also has the chance to be the future.
Now, the Panthers are yet again searching for the future at quarterback with Bridgewater not the long-term answer. Head coach Matt Rhule, general manager Scott Fitterer and team owner David Tepper have all had chances publicly to put their support behind the quarterback and have declined, or in Tepper’s case, openly spoken about needing to continue to evaluate the quarterback position until you find someone who can win a championship.
The Panthers are highly interested in Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has reportedly asked to be traded, and were one of several teams involved in the discussions for Matthew Stafford, who will be traded to the Los Angeles Rams. Tepper’s remarks and the push for Watson and Stafford also put to test the owner’s previous statements advocating for patience with the team’s rebuild.
But many teams are interested in Watson and the Texans have not yet agreed to trade him. Is he still an option on the table? Absolutely. Would he require giving up a serious amount of what would be Carolina’s future? You bet.
Watson is a nice idea for about 20 of 32 NFL teams. What are the Panthers’ next steps at quarterback outside of Watson? Where’s the future?
Here are some steps Carolina could take:
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DRAFT A QUARTERBACK IN 2021 THAT IS READY TO START RIGHT AWAY
While Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence is out of reach for the Panthers being the virtually guaranteed to be the No. 1 overall pick, Carolina could trade up in the draft to get a player like Ohio State’s Justin Fields or BYU’s Zach Wilson, who both could be top-five selections.
With the Detroit Lions no longer as in need of a new quarterback after acquiring Jared Goff in the trade of Stafford, there’s a better chance a quarterback could fall to the Panthers with their current eighth overall pick. But if the early offseason action has shown anything thus far, it is that there are many teams that feel like they need an upgrade at the quarterback position. There’s no assuming a quarterback will just magically fall into Carolina’s laps at No. 8 that is ready to start tomorrow.
Someone like North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance, however, could fall down the draft, which brings us to the next option.
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DRAFT A QUARTERBACK IN 2021 THAT COULD BENEFIT FROM SITTING A YEAR
This is the perk of the three-year contract that Bridgewater was signed to. With a $20 million dead cap hit in 2021, compared to $5 million if he is cut in 2022, it pays to have the veteran quarterback on the roster. If Bridgewater was traded, he would still account for $10 million in dead cap, while saving the Panthers about $13 million, per Spotrac.
While Bridgewater had a rough second half of the season and the offense as a whole could not close out games, he had his moments and showed flashes of what could be. Having him start for another year or at least a portion of the season wouldn’t be the worst thing, and in all likelihood, is the most realistic from where we stand today.
Drafting a quarterback such as Lance, or moving back to invest in someone like Alabama’s Mac Jones would give the Panthers more draft picks to address the variety of needs on the roster, while also selecting someone who can learn from and behind Bridgewater. Patrick Mahomes was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs and had a vital year to learn from Alex Smith. Jones, however, may not have made enough of an impression during Senior Bowl week to be that player, as some scouts and executives The Observer spoke with were not overly excited about his potential.
Carolina is trying to find a quarterback it can build around for years to come. The eighth overall pick presents plenty of options for finding that player in this year’s draft and allowing him to develop, if necessary. Moving up or down in the draft to select a player are both on the table, as Fitterer said.
The best options for the Panthers are to somehow land Watson or draft a player this year.
But what if those two scenarios don’t work out and they do not believe “the guy” is in this year’s class?
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FINDING ANOTHER OPTION THROUGH FREE AGENCY OR A TRADE
Carolina being a top candidate for the Stafford trade showed a couple of things. First, the Panthers are not sold on Bridgewater. Second, when Fitterer said the team would be in on “every deal,” he meant it. Their name is going to be associated with a lot of players and deals that they might not even be that strongly involved in. The Panthers will be calling around.
“We will be on in on every deal,” Fitterer said last month. “We’re going to find out where things are going, what the landscape is in the NFL.”
There aren’t many other quarterbacks through free agency or trade that would make sense this offseason, which makes this the least likely option. Carson Wentz could become available via trade, and it wouldn’t be a surprise for the Panthers to make a phone call. Dak Prescott is largely expected to eventually get a deal done with the Dallas Cowboys. After that, there aren’t many other options that could fill the Panthers’ need for years to come with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Mitch Trubisky among the potential moving parts.
It’s more likely than not that the team will address the quarterback position in one way or another this offseason, but there is a chance they stay put. Bridgewater, P.J. Walker, Will Grier and Tommy Stevens are under contract for next year, but Fitterer acknowledged just weeks ago that he feels the quarterback position should be looked at often.
“I do believe in competition at all positions and we’re gonna look to raise the level at all positions, we’re never satisfied with our roster. We’re going to always look,” Fitterer said. “(The quarterback position) is something I believe in drafting every year or acquiring at some point, just philosophically.”
What if the Panthers would wait for 2022, stick with Bridgewater and the current backups? There isn’t much to look forward to that’s dramatically better outside of the ability to get out of the veteran’s contract. It’s hard to see Carolina ending up with a significantly better draft position than eighth overall. In terms of free agents that could be available, the options appear limited. Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are all scheduled to be on the market, but it’s hard to see most of those players, if not all, re-signed by that time, with Darnold the biggest question mark.
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WHAT TO WATCH FOR NEXT
There’s a solid chance Bridgewater ends up starting for the Panthers Week 1 of 2021 season. But there are many dominoes to fall before we get there:
Other quarterback decisions and trades throughout the league, how many teams draft quarterbacks ahead of the Panthers and whether Watson is even traded.
A big decision was made by the franchise in 2011 to select Newton out of Auburn, when many thought they should go in a different direction. Getting this decision right this offseason will either set up the Panthers in a similar way or could lead to a third straight year of looking for a quarterback.
