How Dak Prescott’s mega-deal affects the Carolina Panthers QB search
By Noah Bryce
Should the Carolina Panthers be concerned about the amount of money being thrown around for quarterbacks and the lack of high-quality free agents?
The Carolina Panthers were in search of a quarterback after the departure of franchise cornerstone Cam Newton and looked to have found their man in former first-round pick Teddy Bridgewater. The signing energized the fanbase and the three-year, $63million contract he was given showed the faith the front office had in him as well.
However, after another disappointing campaign in 2020 and a changing of the guard at general manager, those feelings have soured and they are once again searching for a signal-caller despite Matt Rhule’s comments to the media on Wednesday.
The Panthers went 0-8 in games with an opportunity to win or tie on the final drive during the 2020 season. Bridgewater also showed signs of regression during the final weeks, throwing four interceptions to only two touchdowns in the last five games.
His worst outing coming against his former team the New Orleans Saints in the final game of the season in which he threw two interceptions, zero touchdowns, and ended with a QBR of 23.8.
In the eyes of Scott Fitterer, a change needs to be made. But just how expensive might that change be?
How does Dak Prescott’s mega-deal affect the Carolina Panthers’ search?
The news of the Dallas Cowboys and their Pro Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott coming to terms on a four-year $160 million deal with $126 million guaranteed shows just how much a starting signal-caller goes for in today’s NFL.
This also demonstrates how rare it is for a quarterback of that level to become available and how quickly that bidding war would escalate. Teams should not count on a good player under center diving into free agency, but when they do come available they should jump at the opportunity.
Prescott was the eighth quarterback taken in the 2016 NFL Draft and the only one still with the team that selected them. Further driving home the point of how hard it is to gauge talent, especially at the quarterback position.
Even with this year’s draft being considered a good one for prospects at the position, it’s still a high-risk venture to draft one in the first round. As with most things around the NFL, it’s a gamble and there’s no such thing as a “can’t-miss prospect”.
We can all remember the hilariously wrong pre-draft reports on JaMarcus Russell.
"Russell may be the most physically gifted player to ever play the quarterback position. With a cannon arm (he can throw the ball forty yards from a seated position) and a strong pocket presence, the LSU star edges out Brady Quinn as the top QB on my list. Also looks to have the inside track to go number one in April."
That being said, what does this all mean for the Panthers?
With a lack of free agents and a draft without a clear No. 2 or No. 3 quarterback, it means they should be all-in on the idea of trading for a starting-caliber player this offseason.
Whether that be the highly sought-after Deshaun Watson or a player with Super Bowl experience like Jimmy Garoppolo, they should be kicking the tires of whoever is made available.
How much should they be willing to give up?
However much it takes to get the man that can bring them a championship.
While a team isn’t made up of one player, a quarterback has the opportunity to make or break a franchise and the Panthers need to be careful how they go about finding theirs.