Former Panthers GM Gettleman will regret paying James Bradberry’s expensive new contract
The Carolina Panthers made a series of moves on the unofficial first day of NFL free agency Monday, and to me those maneuvers added up to ... not much.
Put it like this: What the Panthers did on Day 1 of free agency in the Matt Rhule era didn’t move the needle.
They weren’t taken to the cleaners, like Houston coach Bill O’Brien was Monday when he basically traded star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins away for a box full of old VHS tapes. They also didn’t pull off an outright victory, like that fateful 1996 offseason when Carolina general manager Bill Polian signed four key free agents and all four eventually made the Pro Bowl in a Panthers uniform.
Instead, in the early stages of 2020 free agency, the Panthers did some things they should have (resisting the temptation to pay huge money to cornerback James Bradberry, for instance) and some things they probably shouldn’t have.
Let’s take it player-by-player -- and bear in mind this is a non-quarterback story since we deal with Cam Newton and Teddy Bridgewater elsewhere -- and discuss:
Defensive end Stephen Weatherly (coming to Carolina)
For the past two seasons, Weatherly has been a quietly productive reserve for a good Minnesota team with a strong pass rush. He turns 26 on Thursday, so he should be entering his prime.
Weatherly’s agent wrote on Twitter that his deal is for two years and $12.5 million, which sounds an awful lot like the sort of money you only give someone if you plan on Weatherly replacing Mario Addison in productivity. This is an iffy proposition. Addison was a consistent edge pass rusher for years in Charlotte. Weatherly does at least have youth on his side. But the 32-year-old Addison -- who ESPN reported late Monday has agreed to a three-year contract with the Buffalo Bills -- has had nine or more sacks in each of the past four seasons.
Bradberry (going to the New York Giants)
After the 2015 season, the Carolina Panthers boasted one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL in Josh Norman — a star for a Carolina team that had just gone to the Super Bowl. Then-Carolina general manager Dave Gettleman placed a franchise tag on Norman — and shockingly rescinded it, allowing Norman to leave for Washington with nothing for the Panthers to show for it.
Gettleman just doesn’t believe in paying cornerbacks, right? Well, not exactly.
Now the New York Giants GM, Gettleman just gave a huge payday to a less talented player who just came off a worse season than Norman did in 2015. Bradberry, who I have always maintained is a good-but-not-great NFL player, just cashed in with a three-year, $45-million deal — from Gettleman! I know Gettleman drafted Bradberry at Carolina in the first place in 2016, but does he really like him that much? Evidently.
This was one of the things the Panthers did that was wise, not paying Bradberry $15 million a year. He’s fine, but he’s not enough of a difference-maker to deserve that. The Giants will one day regret that contract.
Safety Juston Burris (coming to Carolina)
A former N.C. State starter who went to high school at Raleigh Broughton, Burris gets to return to his home state. The signing was for a reported two years and $8 million, which means the Panthers will have Burris compete for a starting role alongside safety Eric Reid but not that he will necessarily win one.
The Panthers will be Burris’s fourth team in five seasons, making him a bit of a journeyman. Given that Carolina also released veteran safety and special-teamer Colin Jones on Monday, the team could conceivably still sign Tre Boston once again to yet another short-term deal if Boston doesn’t find the free-agent market to his liking.
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
