4 offers for the Carolina Panthers to meet Deshaun Watson trade price

Carolina Panthers trade package No. 3

Deshaun Watson is a top-five quarterback and might even be top-three on a better team. The Carolina Panthers are absolutely loaded with weapons on offense, so it’s hard to envisage a situation where a bold playoff bid wouldn’t come about if they made this trade happen.

Imagine a backfield featuring Watson and Christian McCaffrey. He’d have plenty of pass-catching wide receivers to call upon and a consistent presence at tight end in free-agent signing Dan Arnold and promising rookie Tommy Tremble.

There are some obvious concerns about the protection, but Watson’s proven to be highly productive behind a poor offensive line in Houston more often than not.

Adding Sam Darnold to this deal is probably a necessity. It would give the Texans a solid stop-gap until Davis Mills is ready to see the field, even if it would be a disaster from the USC product’s point of view.

Shaq Thompson’s name is another that might come up in any potential discussions. The outside linebacker has been solid if not spectacular throughout his career, but this might be his final season with the team given the eye-watering payrise coming his way in 2022.

Two players, three first-round selections, and two third-round picks might tip the scales in Carolina’s favor. Although it’s a huge call to make with uncertainty surrounding Watson’s future.