4 free agents the Carolina Panthers will regret not signing in 2024

Gerald Everett

The Carolina Panthers had a half-decent free agent tight end market at their fingertips. For some reason, they didn't sign one of them.

The team moved on from Hayden Hurst. Currently, their TE1 is Tommy Tremble, who has caught 62 passes for 548 receiving yards and seven touchdowns through his NFL career thus far, spanning three seasons.

The team is perhaps looking toward the 2024 NFL Draft to bring in a legitimate receiving threat at the position. But with other needs on the roster and not exactly the strongest tight end class, the Panthers should have sprung at the chance to sign Gerald Everett, who signed with the Chicago Bears.

Mind you, the Bears already have a TE1 on the roster in Cole Kmet, so Everett isn't going to be the top option. Ryan Poles wants to make life easier for his likely rookie quarterback, Caleb Williams. Something Bryce Young didn't benefit from whatsoever in 2023.

Why didn't Dan Morgan pursue Everett? He signed a modest two-year deal worth $12 million with Chicago. Over the last two seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, the veteran caught 109 passes for 966 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

Across his seven-year NFL career, Everett has averaged 45 receptions for 450 receiving yards and three touchdowns per 17-game season. That's a big upgrade on anything Carolina's had since Greg Olsen.

Tight ends can be a security blanket in the receiving game, especially for a developing signal-caller. The Panthers need a WR1 in the picture, but Everett would have fit nicely into the offense.

He's caught 67 percent of his career targets, so he's an efficient weapon as well. This should have been an easy move for the Panthers front office to make, but they have different plans.

Make no mistake, the offense still needs a couple more viable weapons for Young if they want more from the former No. 1 pick next time around.