Dan Morgan took accountability for the Carolina Panthers' historically bad defensive performance in 2024. New revelations regarding Frankie Luvu's departure didn't paint the franchise in a good light.
The consensus after Luvu turned down a contract offer to join the Washington Commanders in free agency centered on the linebacker's desire to link up with head coach Dan Quinn. Carolina offered him more money, but that wasn't the primary motivation.
This notion might not be entirely accurate if a recent report is any indication.
Carolina Panthers reportedly left Frankie Luvu's contract extension too late
Joe Person of The Athletic revealed a different theory during an appearance on WFNZ's Kyle Bailey Clubhouse. The respected beat writer, who is more clued-up than most about goings on within the organization, stated the Panthers left it too late to make Luvu an acceptable offer. They got complacent and paid a heavy price.
"The [Frankie] Luvu thing… The narrative, the easy narrative that kinda got out there of 'well the Panthers offered him more money, he didn't wanna be here anymore', I don't think that's accurate. I think the Panthers got in late, with a late offer. And at that point, there was too much momentum going up the road to Washington. I think they thought they could get Luvu and keep him just because he liked being here. And again, they eventually got to the number where Washington was, and maybe a little more, but it was late in the day and that ship had sailed."Joe Person
Frankie Luvu not resigning with the Panthers 🧐 @josephperson: “The narrative that the Panthers offered him more money and he didn’t want to be here no more, I don’t think that’s accurate. The Panthers got in late.”
— Panthers On Tap (@PanthersOnTap) January 21, 2025
No wonder why Dan Morgan fell on the sword. pic.twitter.com/4q7ASwDsws
If true, this is organizational malpractice.
Luvu proved his worth as a core foundational piece and the beating heart of Carolina's defense long before free agency arrived. They took the second-level enforcer re-signing for granted without acknowledging that his production would be in high demand if permitted to test the market.
This is on previous general manager Scott Fitterer for not getting a new deal sorted during the season. It's also on Morgan and Brandt Tilis for not giving Luvu's extension the urgency it deserved.
Things worked out pretty well for Luvu. The former undrafted free agent out of Washington State thrived under Quinn's guidance. He led all linebackers in sacks with eight. His 33 pressures ranked second. The impact was immediate and the player earned second-team All-Pro honors along the way.
More importantly, the Commanders went on a fairytale run. They secured 12 wins to book their playoff spot as the NFC's sixth seed. Road wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions put them within one game of the Super Bowl.
The Panthers can only look on with regret and envy. As fate would have it, Fitterer is also enjoying the benefits after getting a front office job in Washington once he was mercifully fired by team owner David Tepper.
This was an avoidable situation that could have locked down one of the team's top stars. Morgan learned a harsh lesson early, but he's adopting a different approach since that should serve the franchise well.
Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown got extended ahead of time. Running back Chuba Hubbard received a new four-year deal in-season. Expect standout cornerback Jaycee Horn to be next following a superb campaign with very few injury troubles attached.
It's a big positive. Had Morgan or Fitterer displayed the same method with Luvu, there's a good chance he'd still be around.
Alas, it wasn't to be.