A deal sounds unlikely, but the Carolina Panthers front office has called about signing free agent safety Eric Weddle, according to a report by Joe Person at the Athletic.
Fans shouldn’t get their hopes up too much for Weddle, no matter how good of a fit he might be for coach Ron Rivera’s defense.
As Person notes, the numbers will be difficult. Carolina didn’t have a lot of cap space to begin with and they’ve just stated their intention to pay wide receiver Torrey Smith $5 million for the year.
Weddle may be 34 years old, but he’s still one of the top safeties in football and is sure to get some genuine interest. A bidding war is out of the question for the cash-strapped Panthers.
On the bright side, the team has plenty of choices and free agency hasn’t technically even begun yet. There are at least a half-dozen other safeties who are about to become available who would also be quality options to start next to Eric Reid.
Update:
The short-lived dream is over. According to a report by Ian Rapoport at NFL Network, Weddle is signing a two-year deal to join the Rams, worth up to $12.5 million.
Carolina was supposedly one of the final five teams on Weddle’s list, but obviously he liked LA’s offer best.
