Peter King puts Carolina Panthers on short list for Antonio Brown

Do the Carolina Panthers take a chance on Antonio Brown? Peter King thinks it’s possible.

The Carolina Panthers haven’t publicly made a decision on free agent receiver Devin Funchess but sitting out the final game of 2018 could be considered an indication of their intent. The team has a plethora of young talent available in D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel and Damiere Byrd, although none has been given full reign on offense.

Since parting ways with Steve Smith, quarterback Cam Newton has needed to rely on the production of young talent in order to be successful in the passing game. While he developed a good rapport with tight end Greg Olsen and more recently leaned on running back Christian McCaffrey, the receiver pool has remained shallow.

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Attempts were made with both Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess but neither developed into the star receiver Newton desperately needs. The addition of proven threat, Antonio Brown, would immediately bolster an already high powered offense and Pro Football Talk analyst Peter King believes it could happen.

In a recent post to Football Morning in America, King lists the Panthers as one of five likely landing spots for Brown. His reasoning is well founded but if owner David Tepper’s ties to Pittsburgh and witnessing first-hand the difference Brown can make outweigh any potential personalty conflicts or other issues remains to be seen.

"[Tepper] bought a 5 percent stake in the Steelers in 2009, preceding his purchase of the Panthers last year. So he’ll know the holes in Brown’s persona, but he’ll also know the difference Brown could make in a passing game that needs a downfield threat … he’ll be motivated to keep the distractions to a minimum so he can earn a new deal … GM Marty Hurney is a conservative type by nature, I think he could be convinced to take a shot on this get-rich-quick scheme."

Originally, a Brown trade was believed to be impractical or unrealistic but for the right price it presents an intriguing option. Pittsburgh and Carolina have a good relationship and there’s no doubt the Steelers would appreciate being able to move Brown to an opponent outside of the AFC.

Once an afterthought, the Brown trade situation is at least worth keeping an eye on – especially once an asking price is revealed by Pittsburgh.