Tag: dan morgan

GM Dan Morgan explains why Panthers traded Brian Burns

Panthers GM Dan Morgan gave a little insight into why he pulled the trigger on the Brian Burns trade.

Dan Morgan wasn’t handed an easy job when he was named the new president of football operations and general manager of the Carolina Panthers. In fact, he just had to make one of the most difficult decisions this franchise has faced in quite some time.

Two weeks ago, Morgan and the Panthers traded away star pass rusher Brian Burns to the New York Giants. The move effectively put an end to the year-long stalemate in contract talks and awarded the two-time Pro Bowler the massive big-money deal he was looking for.

On Thursday, through a Zoom call from the NFL’s Annual League Meeting, Morgan explained why the team pulled the trigger on what he described as a “tough decision.”

“You know, those are always difficult conversations and, and decisions that you have to make from the seat that I’m in,” he said, via Darin Gantt of Panthers.com. “We love Brian. The player he is, the person he is, but sometimes you’ve got to make tough decisions, and the salary cap along with draft capital that we got, we felt like it was, you know, time to pull the trigger and make a move.

“We felt like the timing was right. And yeah, those are always tough decisions, but we had to make it, and we feel OK about it.”

In return for Burns, the Panthers received the 39th overall pick of the upcoming draft, a pick swap of the 141st and 166th selections and a 2025 fifth-rounder.

The trade also opened up approximately $24 million in salary cap space for Carolina, who had placed the franchise tag on Burns the week prior to the swap.

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Panthers reportedly made late push to retain LB Frankie Luvu

Per multiple reports, the Panthers made a late push to keep Frankie Luvu around before he came to terms with the Commanders.

Well, they tried.

Yesterday, the Carolina Panthers lost some heart and soul—as linebacker Frankie Luvu reportedly agreed to terms with the Washington Commanders. Luvu is expected to sign a three-year, $36 million pact to make the move a bit further north.

The decision, however, didn’t come without some resistance from the Panthers—who wanted to keep the versatile defender around.

As first reported by JP Finlay of NBC Sports, Carolina made a “late push” to retain Luvu on Monday. That information was backed by Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer, who noted on Tuesday afternoon that the Panthers stayed in touch with Luvu’s representation throughout the process.

Panthers president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan made that interest in Luvu quite clear at this year’s scouting combine.

“We have all intentions on re-signing Frankie,” Morgan said a few weeks ago. “We love Frankie. He embodies what a Panther is. He’s tough, he’s got that dawg mentality we talk about. Nothing’s guaranteed in this league, but we are gonna try to extend him.”

That, of course, would not be the case.

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Panthers trade up to 1st round in The Athletic’s post-combine mock draft

Dane Brugler of The Athletic forecasts a jump up into the first round for the Panthers in his newest mock draft.

After trading the farm for last year’s No. 1 overall pick, are the Carolina Panthers really in a position to move up again this spring? One longtime draft expert believes so.

The Athletic NFL draft analyst Dane Brugler just rolled out his latest mock, straight off this past week’s trip to Indianapolis. He has the Panthers, whose opening pick currently sits atop the second round, leaping into the first in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens.

Brugler’s proposed swap nets Carolina the 30th overall selection in exchange for the 33rd and 141st selections. He then has them netting University of Georgia wideout Ladd McConkey:

The Panthers have to get better on the offensive line, but they also have to add weapons who can get open and give Bryce Young a target. McConkey, who can play both inside and outside, is arguably the best in this draft class at creating space with his crisp route running and electric speed/quickness.

In this scenario, Carolina doesn’t let the Chiefs snatch up McConkey. First-year general manager Dan Morgan moves up and gets his guy.

McConkey had one of the better combine performances at the receiver position. The two-time national champ clocked an impressive 40-yard dash at 4.39 seconds and proceeded to cut right through the gauntlet like a hot knife through butter.

But would he be worth a stab at the expense of Brandt Tilis’ old buddies?

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Report: A ‘near certainty’ Panthers will use franchise tag on Brian Burns

Multiple reports from Sunday morning noted that the Panthers are very likely to use the franchise tag on Brian Burns before Tuesday’s deadline.

When it comes to the next step between outside linebacker Brian Burns and the Carolina Panthers, the expected is expected to happen.

As first noted by Joe Person of The Athletic, Carolina is expected to use the franchise tag on their two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline. ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler also heard the same from this year’s scouting combine, as he later added on Sunday morning that the move is a “near certainty.”

Again, slapping Burns with the tag should come as no surprise. During his media availability over in Indianapolis, president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan told reporters that the team would take that step if needed.

“We would definitely use it if we had to use it,” he said on Tuesday. “And we love Brian. Brian’s a Panther. Somebody that I know, that I’m close to. I played with his brother. So, definitely love Brian. But all options are on the table.”

If the tag is indeed used, Panthers and Burns will have until July 15 to agree to a new contract.

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6 potential tag-and-trade suitors for Panthers OLB Brian Burns

If the Panthers opt to tag and trade Brian Burns, here are six teams that could be on the receiving end of the two-time Pro Bowler.

If one thing about the status of outside linebacker Brian Burns seems certain, it’s that he’ll be under some type of tie to the Carolina Panthers in the next few weeks.

After opening up yesterday, the window to apply this year’s crop of franchise tag runs until March 5. So even if the Panthers and Burns are unable to finally reach a long-term deal, the organization can keep him around with the one-year designation.

But would he be a certainty to stay around if that remains the case into the regular season? Not necessarily.

Burns can always be traded while on the tag, a prospect that could be of interest to a rebuilding organization looking to restock its resources for the future. And if that’s a possibility, here are six potential tag-and-trade suitors for the 25-year-old pass rusher:

20 Valentine’s Day cards for the special Panthers fan in your life

Spread the love with our 20 Panthers-themed Valentine’s Day cards!

Still looking for that special something for that special Carolina Panthers fan in your life?

Well, look no further.

Let’s spread the love this Valentine’s Day with 20 Panthers-themed cards that friends, family members and/or significant others will absolutely fall for!

Best photos from Super Bowl XXXVIII

38 photos from the Panthers’ trip to Super Bowl XXXVIII

One of the greatest Super Bowls in history took place 20 years ago. But unfortunately for the Carolina Panthers, it didn’t end with the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy.

As we get ready for the biggest game of the year, let’s look back at the best shots from Super Bowl XXXVIII:

Luke Kuechly on Panthers’ new direction: ‘We’ve got a common goal now’

Luke Kuechly on Dan Morgan and Dave Canales: “There’s a vision that these guys believe in. There’s a vision of what they want to do.”

Luke Kuechly isn’t at radio row this just to surprise his buddy Cam Newton. The retired linebacker was also in Las Vegas for Super Bowl Week to talk some shop—and on Friday, he was asked about his Carolina Panthers.

While hopping onto the NFL Network with Andrew Siciliano and Bucky Brooks, Kuechly gave some thoughts about quarterback Bryce Young and the team’s hiring of new president of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales.

“What I do know about Bryce and what I do know about Carolina is that we’ve got a common goal now,” he said. “Dan came in at the same time—obviously, we hired him as the GM. We hired Dave Canales at the same time. They spent a lot of time in Seattle together. There’s a vision that these guys believe in. There’s a vision of what they want to do. And Bryce has a guy that’s—over the past couple of years, whether it’s Geno [Smith], whether it’s been Russ [Wilson], whether it was Baker [Mayfield] last year in Tampa—that he’s gotten the most out of these guys.”

Kuechly is now a color commentator for the Panthers’ radio broadcasts. So, yeah, he is well acquainted with what this franchise has endured of late.

And there’s no doubt that those words, which are coming from one of the most intelligent players in recent memory, are extremely encouraging for Young and the fan base.

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Panthers’ offseason hires praised around the league

The Panthers are getting some props for how they’ve started their 2024 offseason.

Will the third time be a charm for Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper? A few folks in and around the league may think so.

The 33rd Team NFL insider Ari Meirov recently served up news and nuggets coming out of this year’s Senior Bowl. Among the notes is praise for the Panthers, who are getting props for their hiring of head coach Dave Canales as well as their restructuring of the front office.

Meirov writes:

Patience will be key with owner David Tepper, and only time will tell if he’s willing to play along. Several people told me when putting together my head coach candidates list that Canales was a name to watch. However, if a team hired him they’re getting him a year early. Carolina was willing to take that risk.

On top of that, the Panthers also got praise for the front office they’re assembling. It starts with GM Dan Morgan and Executive VP of Football Operations Brandt Tilis, who came from Kansas City. This structure is similar to what San Francisco has with John Lynch and chief contract negotiator Paraag Marathe.

Tilis, according to the organization, will be responsible for “all football administration and non-coaching matters related to operations, equipment, video, and analytics, among other areas.” He’ll also lead player contract negotiations, similar to his role for the Chiefs.

Hey, not bad for supposedly having the least desirable openings in the NFL, right?

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Ranking the dawgs on the Panthers’ roster

Who let these dawgs out in Carolina?

In what will assuredly become a thing amongst Carolina Panthers fans in 2024, new president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan put the call out for some dawgs this past Thursday. Heck, it may already be a thing—as his partner in crime and new head coach Dave Canales just answered said call with an actual canine.

But before Morgan and Canales go search for more, let’s identify and rank the roster’s current dawgs following the 2023 campaign.