5 most disappointing trades in Carolina Panthers history
By Dean Jones
Denzel Perryman – Former Carolina Panthers LB
This one might not be one of the worst. But it was frustrating at the time and even more so right now.
The Carolina Panthers acquired Denzel Perryman in free agency after he flashed real potential with the Los Angeles Chargers. An energetic presence at the second level was sorely missing in the immediate aftermath of Luke Kuechly’s shock retirement and the former Miami star had the potential to ignite this particular area of the field.
For whatever reason, Perryman and the coaching staff didn’t hit it off.
Matt Rhule named Jermaine Carter as the starter at middle linebacker very early in training camp. This was followed by Perryman being bounced out of town to the Las Vegas Raiders for nothing more than a sixth-round pick in 2022.
Carter has been solid if not spectacular this season. Whether he’s done enough to earn a new contract is debatable.
As for Perryman, he has thrived in Las Vegas en route to becoming one of the league’s best at the position and earning Pro Bowl honors with 133 tackles.
Perryman’s vaccination status at the time probably had something to do with the trade. But considering the Panthers had little depth behind Carter on the interior, a solution should have been found.
To make matters worse, it wasn’t much longer before Perryman got the vaccine to prevent further distractions as the season went on.
There are probably more disappointing trades looking back throughout Carolina’s history. But this one is fresh and annoying.