Could Panthers pounce if Aaron Rodgers becomes available?
By Dean Jones
Potential complications
It would take a significant amount of maneuvering to pull this sort of move off. The Carolina Panthers would undoubtedly be better off with Aaron Rodgers under center. But they aren’t exactly blessed with a lot of draft capital and giving up some of their talented young players for someone who has only a few more years left at the very top would be a risk.
High reward, obviously.
But still a risk.
There is also the matter of Rodgers’ salary to consider. He has three years and $65 million in base salary left on his deal and given Carolina is still paying Teddy Bridgewater an amount he’s clearly not really worth after giving the free-agent signing a three-year deal, they’d have to find another team willing to take him on.
Much like the situation with Deshaun Watson, if Rodgers is somehow made available then the Panthers should shoot their shot without jeopardizing the future of the organization.
Acquiring Rodgers would make the contenders. But given how much he struggled against Tampa Bay with less than stellar protection, the Panthers would need to invest heavily in their offensive line with what little funds they’d have available in the event this scenario came to pass.
It’s unlikely to occur. And the clear preference would be for Watson if Carolina wants to go down the trade route.
However, landing Rodgers would completely shift the culture of the Panthers. A bold move such as this is not out of the realm of possibility considering the nature of owner David Tepper and his desire to get in a franchise-altering signal-caller before the 2021 campaign.