The Carolina Panthers’ desperation for a franchise quarterback wasn’t the only factor in their acquisition of this year’s No. 1 overall pick. They also heard the footsteps.
Before completing last Friday’s massive swap with the Chicago Bears, the Panthers—per Mike Silver of Bally Sports—felt as if they were in a competition for the pick. They, in fact, feared the Indianapolis Colts and Las Vegas Raiders—who hold the fourth and seventh overall selections, respectively—were primed to make their runs to the top of the board.
Well, Silver and the Panthers weren’t wrong.
According to a new report from Tashan Reed and Jeff Howe of The Athletic, Las Vegas attempted to trade for the first pick before Carolina sealed the deal. The story reads:
In the ensuing weeks, the Raiders explored trading all the way up to the No. 1 pick, then owned by the Bears, multiple league sources told The Athletic. They never made a formal offer, but they did find out what Chicago’s asking price would be: This year’s first- and second-round picks, two future first-round picks and another future second-round pick.
The Raiders deemed that price too steep, multiple league sources told The Athletic.
As previously believed, Moore was the key in clinching control of the draft. In the end, the Panthers parted with the ninth overall selection, the 61st overall selection, a 2024 first-rounder, a 2025 second-rounder and their No. 1 wideout.
Since then, the Raiders settled on Jimmy Garoppolo—signing the free-agent quarterback to a three-year, $72.7 million pact. And even though the price was also steep for Carolina, it was one they were ultimately—unlike Las Vegas—willing to gamble on.
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