How Should The Carolina Panthers Solve Their Quarterback Situation?
The Carolina Panthers' offseason has already been entertaining, to say the least. They decided to move on from interim head coach Steve Wilks, who nearly got them into the playoffs after taking over a 1-4 team. New head coach Frank Reich will look to build on that momentum in what could be a very wide-open NFC South with the retirement of Tampa Bay Bucs QB Tom Brady.
Reich, who was the starting quarterback for the Panthers’ first game ever, has been labeled a quarterback guru as a coach for his work with Carson Wentz during his tenure as the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator, and the revolving door of QBs during his time as the Indianapolis Colts head coach.
A revolving door of quarterbacks is exactly what the Panthers have had since former MVP Cam Newton suffered a season-ending injury during the 2019 season with 7 different QBs having started a game, including a short-lived return by Cam in 2021.
The organization’s desperation to solve this problem caused them to trade a 2nd, 4th, and 6th-round pick for Jets' former 1st-round pick Sam Darnold in the 2021 offseason. Darnold played so poorly that the team traded a conditional 5th-round pick in the 2022 offseason for another former 1st-rounder in Baker Mayfield, who they released before the end of the season.
So what now?
The Panthers (much to my dismay recently) are not shy about trading for a QB. They still have last year’s 3rd-round draft pick Matt Corral, who missed the season due to injury, and the 9th overall pick in this year’s draft. And it appears there will be plenty of options available in the free agent market.
Let’s take a look at each potential route they could take and figure out what they should do in order to return to the top of their division.
Sign A Free Agent QB
The best option in this current free agent class is former MVP Lamar Jackson. A dual threat at QB, he’s one of the most exciting players in the league and only 26 years old. Signing him would certainly fire up the fanbase, but it would also be incredibly expensive.
Jackson has already turned down $250 million (roughly 207 pounds???) from the Ravens, so it’d be safe to assume that he wants more than that. Is it smart to limit yourself financially moving forward for a single player? Particularly one who has had injury issues? No. There’s enough talent out there not to reach for a player like Jackson.
If the team chooses to sign a QB, they’d be better off picking a more affordable player who has shown at least some flashes of talent and letting Reich do his development thing. Someone along the lines of Geno Smith, who is coming off a career year with the Seahawks, or Eagles backup Gardner Minshew, who flashed loads of potential in his time with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Minshew hasn’t been quite as good when called to fill in for the Eagles, but I’m betting that has more to do with the offence being built around the strengths of starting QB Jalen Hurts.
Almost as important as signing the right QB is NOT signing the wrong one. The first name that comes to mind in this year’s potential free agent class is the 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo. As impressive as Reich’s resume with QBs has been, he’s not a miracle worker which is what Jimmy G needs.
But signing a free agent isn’t always feasible for a number of reasons. And, as I mentioned, the Panthers are not afraid to trade for a QB. So what options are out there?
Trade for a QB
Here’s a secret that the Panthers' front office doesn’t know: if a team is willing to trade their quarterback, that quarterback is usually not good. Now, there is one notable exception to that rule: the talented quarterback who demands a trade. So now the question becomes much simpler: should the Panthers trade for Aaron Rodgers?
This question assumes a lot. That the Panthers could put together a package for him, that he’d want to come to Carolina, that the Packers would want to trade him to Carolina, etc. Assuming all that to be true, would this be a good fit?
No.
Rodgers has been a great regular-season quarterback. One of the best ever, in fact. However, he’s come up short in the postseason more often than he’s not. Also, while he had another incredible regular season in 2021, he took a step back this year. He threw for the most interceptions since his 1st season as a starter way back in 2008, and threw for his fewest yards per game as a full-time starter EVER!
Off the field, he’s developed into a locker-room concern, publicly complaining about the lack of talent the Packers have put around him loudly and often. His cries for more talent will only grow louder as his skills continue to decline.
Trading for Rodgers would be a big-time move, but only for the very near future. For a team that is presumably building for the future, there are better ways to solve their QB problem. And nothing says “building for the future” quite like…
Draft a QB
This would have been a much easier discussion if they had continued on the path they were headed before getting rid of Matt Rhule as head coach. Even with Wilks turning the season around in impressive fashion, the Panthers still hold the 9th pick in this year’s draft. Should they use it on a QB?
It’s a relatively safe assumption that elite QB prospects CJ Stroud and Bryce Young will be off the board by the time the Panthers are on the clock. With some luck, they should have a shot to draft Florida QB Anthony Richardson or Kentucky QB Will Levis. In fact, most mock drafts out right now have them drafting one of them.
Both possess the physical tools necessary to succeed in today’s NFL at the position. In fact, they would each rank ahead of Stroud and Young if you were just looking at size, arm strength, and running ability.
Levis is the more experienced option, having started 2 full seasons for the Wildcats. In addition to all of his physical tools, he also has loads of arm talent. He can make nearly every throw an NFL QB needs to make. He’s not the most accurate passer down the field, but you can certainly find worse.
He came into last season being talked about as the potential #1 pick, and it’s not hard to see why. When you watch him play, it’s even easier to see why he’s no longer in the running for that title. Calling his on-field decision-making questionable would be an understatement.
He made a handful of throws every game that tested the intestinal fortitude of Kentucky fans. We’ve seen QBs improve many skills after making the move to the NFL, but rarely has decision-making been one of them. Particularly for a guy who played for 4 years with 2 of those as the starter. Even if Levis is able to do so, he’s still years away from being what he’d need to be to help lead the Panthers to the playoffs.
Anthony Richardson is even more physically impressive than Levis. If he ended up in a Carolina uniform, he would immediately remind fans of Panthers legend Cam Newton. He’s got a cannon for an arm and is a powerful runner. While there are concerns about his on-field decision-making as well, much of that can be attributed to his lack of experience since he was only the Gators’ full-time starter for 1 season.
However, he’s probably even further away from being NFL-ready than Levis. Richardson is simply not accurate when throwing the football. His completion percentage was just under 54% last season. While developing better mechanics will help with that, rarely do you see QBs improve accuracy substantially. Particularly when coming from a place where completing a pass is nearly the equivalent of flipping a coin.
You can certainly see a future where both of these guys develop into good NFL starters. And, as I’ve mentioned, Frank Reich is known for developing QBs. But wasting a top-10 pick on something that might not happen, and if it does could take years, would be foolish. Particularly when there’s plenty of talent at other positions that the Panthers need to address as well.
Okay, so the Panthers shouldn’t try to sign, trade, or draft a franchise quarterback. Glad that’s settled. But what should they do?
Nothing
Okay, hear me out. As I said earlier, they drafted QB Matt Corral in the 3rd round last year. He missed out on much-needed reps after suffering a season-ending injury in the final preseason game, but he’s more NFL-ready than both Levis and Richardson at the moment.
He’s not nearly the physical specimen of either, and this difference is most glaring when it comes to arm strength, but he’s incredibly accurate, mobile, and makes much better decisions with the football.
He’s also infinitely cheaper than anything you will find in the free agent market and comes with significantly less baggage than an Aaron Rodgers.
The reward is much higher than the risk here. He’s already on the roster, so you don’t have to give up anything to get him. The team should sign a solid, affordable veteran backup to help his development, but they were going to have to sign one anyways. If he turns out to be the guy, they have a starting QB on a 3rd-round draft pick contract that doesn’t expire until 2026.
If it doesn’t work out, at the very least they know what they don’t have. And, at best, they probably lose a lot of games and have a high draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft when QBs like Heisman winner Caleb Williams and UNC star Drake Maye should be on the board.
As boring as it is, the quickest way for this franchise to get back to the top of the NFC South is to see if Reich can work his magic on Corral, use this year’s cap space, and draft picks to fill other needs on both sides of the ball, and see what happens.
As much as Panthers fans are tired of watching subpar quarterback play, it makes more sense to do this than risk repeating the same mistakes that got the organization in this predicament in the first place. With no quick fixes available, their patience will be rewarded.