Report: Panthers ‘in on most’ veteran quarterback trade talks

The Carolina Panthers seem determined to get themselves a new franchise quarterback sooner rather than later.

The Carolina Panthers seem determined to get themselves a new franchise quarterback sooner rather than later. According to the Athletic, both Carolina and Washington are “in on most of these veteran quarterbacks.” Right now, that discussion is centered around two names: Carson Wentz of the Eagles and Sam Darnold of the Jets. However, the same article suggests that Carolina isn’t really too interested in either one of them.

“However, league sources don’t view the Panthers as serious bidders for the 28-year-old Wentz, who is coming off the worst season of his career. . . The Panthers don’t seem nearly as interested in Darnold, Wentz, et al. as they were (are) in Stafford and Watson.”

This is good to hear. We wouldn’t hate the idea of taking a chance on Darnold for a second or third-round pick, but when we examined eight potential QB trade targets over the weekend we grouped these two into the same “close but no cigar” category. Darnold’s question mark is his production and Wentz’s contract is too big.

One name we left off that list was Marcus Mariota of the Raiders. We would have grouped him in the same category based on his shaky time with the Titans. However, he’s worth considering for the same reasons as Darnold. His cap hit for 2021 is a reasonable $11.35 million and there’s a lot of upside there.

Viewers were treated to the whole Marcus Mariota experience this season when he came in for an injured Derek Carr in a Thursday night matchup against Justin Herbert and the Chargers. Mariota made some oh-wow-type throws, including a beautiful 35-yard touchdown to tight end Darren Waller.

Mariota also made a number of impressive plays with his legs, posting 88 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries.

Mariota also threw a pretty ugly interception over the middle of the field, a stark reminder of his limitations as a quarterback at this level. Mariota finished the night 17/28 for 226 yards, one pick, one score and a QBR of 98.1.

Clearly, there’s still tantalizing potential there. Mariota would also make a sharp fit for Joe Brady’s style of offense and his rushing ability adds another element that Teddy Bridgewater cannot.

The Raiders are reportedly not interested in moving Derek Carr, but they could be willing to deal Mariota according to Albert Breer at Sports Illustrated.

Drafting a franchise QB early is the way to go. That said, giving up a mid-round pick and taking a chance on a distressed asset like Mariota or Gardner Minshew is probably the next-best option.

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