3 potential trades for the Panthers to land Deshaun Watson
By Luke Tucker
Trade Package No. 2
Trading Christian McCaffrey would definitely be a bit more controversial as it pertains to the Carolina Panthers fanbase. But moving a star for a star could potentially be a more attractive offer for the Houston Texans.
McCaffrey’s trade value likely wouldn’t be as high as it was this time last year as a result of missing 13 games due to injury. But in the contests he did play, the All-Pro continued to prove that he’s the best all-purpose back in the NFL.
In only 2.5 games, McCaffrey accounted for almost 400 yards of offense and scored six touchdowns. With that being said, there’s no reason to think he won’t continue to be the best at his position in 2021 if the player returns at full health.
Adding McCaffrey would be a huge boost to the Texans’ offense, and with them getting the Panthers’ first pick, they could still end up finding their quarterback of the future.
As for Carolina, losing their best player obviously isn’t ideal, but they proved in 2020 that you don’t have to have an elite running back to find offensive success. Mike Davis has expressed interest in returning to the Panthers in 2021 and if this trade were to go down, he could be the perfect complement to a high-flying aerial attack.
Cap space could become an issue here with Teddy Bridgewater and Kawann Short still on the roster. So it’s likely that the Panthers would have to move on from at least one to make this deal work.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Bridgewater could be dealt without Watson coming in, and after playing in just five games over the past two seasons, it’s looking more and more likely that Short could be released this offseason.