4 moves the Carolina Panthers can make to help Bryce Young's development
By Luke Gray
Carolina Panthers could sign Mike Evans
The key for the Carolina Panthers this offseason must be to find a WR1 for Bryce Young. As things stand, their leading wide receiver is veteran Adam Thielen with 85 receptions for 827 yards and four scores.
Thielen looks on course to break the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the first time since the 2018 season. After that, the next highest yards for a Panthers wideout is rookie Jonathan Mingo with just 377 yards to his name.
This is a damming indictment of a Panthers receiving core that is far and away the worst in the league, Theilen - while he has performed admirably - asking him to be the No. 1 target at 33 years old is foolish.
Teams just simply aren’t scared of this Panthers passing game. The longest play of the season is a 49-yard connection between Bryce Young and tight end Hayden Hurst.
The free agent wide receiver class in 2024 is filled with talent. The likes of Calvin Ridley, Tee Higgins, and Michael Pittman Jr. could be available. But arguably none are better than Mike Evans.
The former Texas A&M Aggie has topped 1,000 receiving yards every season since being drafted in 2014. According to Spotrac, his contract will be somewhere in the region of four years, $94 million either with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or elsewhere.
The Panthers are projected to have just under $39.15 million available to spend in 2024. That number could be higher with some smart restructuring and cutting certain players.
While some money may be allocated to extending the likes of Brian Burns, Derrick Brown, and Frankie Luvu, the team would be smart to splash on a top-tier WR1.