Panthers And Bengals Working On Big Trade?
Are the Panthers and Bengals working on a big trade?
Carolina has taken drastic steps to reshape its organization over the past year.
It began with the firing of head coach Ron Rivera late last season. He was ultimately replaced by former Baylor coach, Matt Rhule.
From there, Rhule went out and poached LSU offensive guru Joe Brady, the man largely credited with Joe Burrow’s ascension to Heisman-level quarterback this past season.
Now all attention turns to the quarterback position.
The Panthers’ starter over the past few years, when healthy, has been Cam Newton.
Unfortunately, Newton has been hampered by injuries recently and has a mere year left on his deal. Even if he gets fully healthy this summer, Rhule and Co. have indicated that they want to go in a different direction.
The options Rhule has to work with currently on the roster are Kyle Allen and Will Grier – neither of whom have established themselves as having the talent necessary to be a franchise cornerstone.
As such, it stands to reason that there are now murmurs out of the organization suggesting that many want to aggressively target Burrow.
Brady and Burrow enjoyed a lot of success together at LSU, and a reunion would make all the sense in the world.
Unfortunately, Burrow is widely expected to go No. 1 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh on if it’s a mistake for Joe Burrow to settle for Bengals:
“Joe Burrow believes ‘I’m gonna turn it around.’ But if Carson Palmer couldn’t do it, I don’t think anybody can do it.” pic.twitter.com/C7t6BUEpDf
— Speak For Yourself (@SFY) January 17, 2020
According to former Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Carolina is now actively trying to work out a trade with the Bengals for that top pick.
“Joe Brady really wants him, I know that to be fact,” he said on Fox Sports recently.
Although ESPN insider Adam Schefter subsequently came out and said Cincinnati would not trade away their pick, it is hard to take that statement too seriously.
The pre-draft period is full of smoke screens. Teams constantly insist that they will or will not do something, simply to increase their leverage.
If the Panthers can come through with a good deal, the Bengals will at the very least listen.
Can Carolina come up with a deal like that, though? Time will tell.
Related: Lakers And Pistons Working Derrick Rose Trade?
Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
