Dan Morgan is encouraging offers from other teams to move back from No. 8 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Carolina Panthers are open for business; that much is obvious after the general manager's comments during his recent media availability. Whether a willing suitor comes forward is another matter.
It's a fluid situation. But one NFL analyst touted an outrageous possibility that would shake the draft to its foundations.
Morgan will consider all offers presented to him before or during the draft. The phones will be hot leading up to the event, which will intensify depending on what happens in front of Carolina. If the front-office leader gets an offer he believes can help the franchise, whatever that might be, he won't hesitate to give it the green light.
If the Panthers trade down, it will probably be somewhere in the first round if someone wants to come up. Alex Kay from The Bleacher Report had a different, and much more drastic, theory.
Carolina Panthers trade-down proposal represents a realm beyond reality
The analyst thought the Cleveland Browns should be calling. It would take a king's ransom to get Carolina down from No. 8 to No. 33, but it would land the AFC North club two-way phenom Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders in this jaw-dropping scenario.
"The Houston Texans executed a similar trade in 2023, selecting quarterback C.J. Stroud at No. 2 before making a blockbuster deal to acquire the No. 3 pick and nabbing top-ranked prospect Will Anderson Jr. with it. Making this type of trade—which would likely result in the Panthers getting the first pick in Round 2 in addition to a future first and more Day 2 capital—would allow the Browns to pick up Shedeur Sanders and solidify their quarterback room. It would also uniquely afford the Browns a chance to keep the Sanders-Hunter battery together. There's a clear benefit in doing so, as they have a fantastic rapport."Alex Kay
This would be staggering beyond measure. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and there are a lot of people fighting for their jobs in Cleveland entering the 2025 campaign.
Sanders and Hunter have been closely linked throughout their college days at Jackson State before transferring to Colorado. Both will have their jersey numbers retired by the Buffaloes. Getting the chance to continue this flourishing partnership in the pros would be nothing short of a fairytale.
Unfortunately, the NFL deals in reality.
The package projected is probably not enough. Carolina would ask for Cleveland's 2027 first-rounder and more picks this year to get this hypothetical deal over the line. Moving down so far means the Panthers are going to miss out on some outstanding prospects, which jeopardizes their chances of making strides in the second season under head coach Dave Canales.
It's speculation season with smoke and mirrors everywhere you look. This proposal was something else entirely. And when the Houston Texans did it, they had a first-round pick in the teens to wager on top of everything else.
This is a non-starter, but it's fun to think about regardless.