3 winners and 3 losers from the Carolina Panthers 2021 offseason

Denzel Perryman – Former Carolina Panthers LB

There was a tremendous amount of intrigue surrounding the free-agent signing of Denzel Perryman this offseason. The linebacker was projected to come straight into the starting lineup and potentially become the long-term replacement for Luke Kuechly, who called it a day after an exceptional eight-year career with the Carolina Panthers after the 2019 campaign.

To say this didn’t go according to plan would be something of an understatement. Perryman turned up to training camp with a speeding ticket, which would prove pretty symbolic as to how his time with the team would go from then on.

Carolina gave Jermaine Carter the majority of first-team linebacker reps on the interior. Perryman also had a hard time staying healthy and was unvaccinated – two things that also didn’t exactly help his cause.

The Panthers eventually cut their losses with Perryman just a few days before their preseason finale, trading the veteran to the Las Vegas Raiders along with a seventh-round selection in exchange for a sixth-round pick.

Whether the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze where Perryman was concerned is up for debate. It’s also costing the Panthers $2 million in dead-cap money over the next two years.

All it takes is one bad apple to upset the cart. So those in power deserve credit for acting swiftly to prevent further complications.