Panthers mailbag: What to make of rumored interest in Raiders’ Carr? Rookie QB options?
The Carolina Panthers are off to the races in their head coach search.
While finding the leader of their locker room takes priority, the future of the quarterback position is also a major talking point.
Naturally, Panthers fans have questions about the future of their favorite team, and that’s why The Charlotte Observer opens it up its mailbag to answer them.
Here are some of the notable questions rounded up from social media:
From Cyrus Calloway on Twitter: How serious is this talk about Derek Carr and why would they get a mid-low tier vet QB for the fourth year in a row?
It’s hard to buy into any rumors or reports about the Panthers’ interest in players until there’s a head coach in place. One candidate might be firmly entrenched with the idea of developing a quarterback, while another — likely a veteran coach in this scenario — might want a proven option at the position.
For context, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport recently lumped the Panthers into a group — along with the New York Jets and Washington Commanders — who could consider trading for Carr due to needs at the position. That sounds more like informed speculation than outright reporting of interest.
Carr is coming off a brutal season in Las Vegas. However, it’d be unfair to lump him into a group that features Teddy Bridgewater, Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold.
While Bridgewater, Mayfield and Darnold have all had their moments in the NFL, none of them have been consistent NFL starters for as nearly as long as Carr has been. While Carr isn’t seen as an elite quarterback by any stretch, he hasn’t been a slouch, either.
Through nine seasons, Carr has produced 35,222 yards, 217 touchdowns and 99 interceptions while completing 64.6% of his passes in 142 games. That’s an average of 3,913.5 yards, 24.1 touchdowns and 11 interceptions per season.
Cam Newton threw for more touchdowns than Carr’s season average just once in his career — 35 passing touchdowns in 2015 when he was named NFL MVP. Newton only surpassed that passing yardage mark in his rookie season with 4,051 yards.
Obviously, Newton’s mobility and rushing success made him an elite quarterback for a long stretch — but the point is that Carr isn’t a middling passer at the position. It’s hard to compare those players, but Carr would represent the type of quarterback that the Panthers haven’t had since Newton’s first tour of duty in Carolina.
While Carr catches a lot of the criticism for the Raiders’ lack of success during his time in silver and black, the team never had a defense that ranked higher than 20th in points surrendered during his tenure.
In fact, the defense finished as a bottom-three unit in points surrendered in two of his nine seasons with the squad. Carr was constantly asked to win shootouts during time with the Raiders and those circumstances led to a lot of losses. For what it’s worth, the Panthers’ defense ranked 19th in scoring last season.
Regarding the Panthers’ potential interest in Carr, Carolina needs to be smart if the front office does want him The Raiders have very little leverage in a trade, as Carr has a no-trade clause and a trigger in his contract that will guarantee his $40.4 million salary three days after the Super Bowl (Feb. 15).
Essentially, the Raiders need to agree to a trade with a team quickly to avoid a ticking time bomb on their salary cap. Teams are aware of the circumstances surrounding Carr’s deal and could lowball the Raiders with an offer, simply so Las Vegas can claim some sort of value for Carr instead of cutting him.
Agreeing to a trade could lead to Carr pushing his salary guarantee deadline until after the start of the new league year. In that scenario, the Raiders wouldn’t need to deal with as much of a financial impact as the February trigger would induce.
If the Raiders can’t find a deal by the deadline, they’ll need to cut Carr, who will then become a free agent. The Panthers are better off waiting for that scenario, as Carolina only has seven draft picks and needs to replenish multiple positions with young players this offseason.
Signing Carr as a free agent would give the Panthers the leverage to create a deal that would fit better under their salary cap. Trading compensation to the Raiders with a $40.4 million guaranteed contract on the books would put the Panthers in a weak spot from a negotiating standpoint.
From Panthers DownbadSZN on Twitter: Which draft eligible QB do they have the most interest in?
As my colleague, Ellis Williams, reported in November, Kentucky’s Will Levis is well on the Panthers’ radar.
Levis is big and strong at 6-foot-3 and 232 pounds. He also has the mobility and arm strength to become a modern-day franchise quarterback.
While his up-and-down senior season wasn’t particularly pleasing to the scouting senses, Levis thrived in a quarterback-friendly, pro-style system under offensive coordinator Liam Coen in 2021.
During his junior year, Levis threw for 2,826 yards, 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions on a 66% completion percentage. Coen left for the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator this past year, and Levis’ production teetered.
“He had a rough 2022 outing that (could) deter most teams from taking him high,” an NFL scout told The Observer under the condition of anonymity, due to competitive reasons. “But when going to the 2021 tape, he has a lot of qualities that you’d want. He has a chance to be a pretty good starter if he can put it all together.”
Another player of interest is Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson.
According to a pair of NFL scouts, Richardson has the highest ceiling of any quarterback in the class. Richardson threw for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 53.8% of his passes this past season with the Gators.
However, Richardson is seen as a project and will need time to grow into the starting quarterback role. If the Panthers were all-in on Richardson, they’d likely nab a capable veteran quarterback in a preemptive free agency strike to lead the charge in 2023.
The final decision on quarterback — especially in the draft — will ultimately come down to the preference of the Panthers’ new head coach. Until the hire is made, all plans are fluid.
From Greg on Twitter: It’s very early but what do they do at QB? Draft, FA, trade? If it’s a rookie, who do they bring in to mentor? Cause it certainly can’t just be PJ (Walker)…right?
Until there’s a head coach in place, all options are open, really.
Several league sources believe the Panthers will look to select a long-term answer at quarterback in this year’s draft, but there are a lot of variables at play.
With the ninth overall pick, they are in the back of the line for the top quarterback selection in the draft, so if their guy isn’t available, they won’t try to reach for something that isn’t there. That puts the Panthers in an interesting spot for a trade-up scenario, if they are willing to be aggressive and give up a treasure trove of draft compensation in return.
“We don’t want to force that,” Panthers GM Scott Fitterer said earlier this month. “But, eventually, we do need a (quarterback) that we need to draft and develop. We need someone who is homegrown that is going to be here for a long period of time. Whether that’s Matt (Corral), or that’s Sam (Darnold), who is still a young quarterback, or someone else, we’re going to keep all of our options open and do what’s best for the team.”
In free agency, there will be a lot of bridge options. If the Panthers pass on a trade or signing of Carr, their free-agent options will probably be Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo, Andy Dalton, Jacoby Brissett and Taylor Heinicke.
While Brady and Garoppolo are likely to head elsewhere, Dalton, Brissett and Heinicke would make sense as veteran stop-gaps, especially if the Panthers plan to be aggressive in seeking out a first-round quarterback prospect.
Regarding Walker, he is set to become a restricted free agent in March. If the Panthers don’t offer him a tender, he will become unrestricted and be free to sign anywhere. If Steve Wilks isn’t retained as head coach, it’d be hard to see the Panthers offering a “right of first refusal” tender to Walker, as it costs more than $2 million. However, the Panthers could let Walker test the market and then try to sign him if other options don’t work out.
Darnold showed some growth as a quarterback last season, and he is loved by his teammates. If the Panthers were to bring back one of the two veterans, it’d likely be Darnold.
The team also has last year’s third-round pick, Corral, under contract for three more years. If the new head coach likes Corral, the Panthers could simply decide to bring in a bridge veteran and see what they have in the second-year quarterback. Corral turns 24 this month, and he essentially redshirted his entire rookie season due to a Lisfranc injury.
Again, the options seem endless at quarterback for whoever takes over the head coach job. While none of the options are home runs, the new man in charge will be able to pick what he wants heading into his first season at the helm.
This story was originally published January 18, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
