4 problems preventing a Deshaun Watson trade to the Panthers
By Dean Jones
What are some things that could potentially prevent the Carolina Panthers from making a bombshell trade for stud quarterback Deshaun Watson?
The rumors surrounding the Carolina Panthers potentially trading for Deshaun Watson are not going away anytime soon. His unhappiness with how Houston Texans owner Cal McNair is handling team affairs and keeping him out of the loop is there for all to see and this has already led to some other NFL teams calling to get a better lay of the land.
NFL Network insider Ian Rappaport fanned the flames by naming the Carolina Panthers as a lively outsider in a possible trade for Watson, with one betting company even putting Matt Rhule’s men at the head of their market to further whip up the social media frenzy with the team’s fanbase.
There are plenty of hurdles to overcome for Carolina if they want to pull off this sort of deal. But opportunities like this don’t come along every day and it would be foolish of new general manager Scott Fitterer not to at least explore the possibility.
If they don’t have enough, that’s fine.
But not trying would be the worst mistake of all.
With that in mind, let’s examine the potential problems that could prevent the Panthers from landing one of the best in the business this offseason.
Problem No. 1
The Carolina Panthers salary-cap
If the Panthers were hoping to have some substantial wiggle room financially this offseason, then COVID-19 has thrown a significant spanner in the works. A lack of gameday revenue has left the league with no other option other than to reduce the salary-cap to a figure in the region of $179.1 million, according to Spotrac.
This leaves Carolina with just $8 million at their disposal currently, although this is set to go up once the necessary sacrifices are made elsewhere. Not exactly ideal for an organization that was banking on the cap going up to further aid their rebuild.
This would mean that the Texans would need to take on some contracts in any potential trade package involving Watson. While this may have been considered when Bill O’Brien was in charge, new general manager Nick Caserio won’t be as welcoming.