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QB trade targets for Carolina Panthers limited & palling, with one possible exception

Kenny Pickett and Kirk Cousins are not going to help the Panthers' quarterback depth situation much, but another name might.
Tim Weaver|
Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) throws a pass during training camp July 25, 2025, in Berea, Ohio.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) throws a pass during training camp July 25, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

If one thing became clear during the Carolina Panthers' three-game preseason run, it's that if Bryce Young gets seriously injured this team is screwed. While that's often true of most NFL teams and their starting quarterbacks, the backup situation for Carolina right now is particularly shaky.

Andy Dalton looked like Joe Montana against the Raiders and the Bengals last season, but as soon as he faced a good defense he crashed and burned and never recovered. Jack Plummer just put in three straight atrocious performances, and newcomer Bryce Perkins is still an unknown and unlikely to make the roster.

So, it would be a good idea for the Panthers to explore trade targets for improving the depth behind Young. Unfortunately, their options are pretty limited. Eric Edholm atNFL.com has listed a couple of quarterbacks who might get traded in the coming days, including Kenny Pickett, who's already on his third team in as many years.

Kenny Pickett?

"But if the Browns feel good about the health of Gabriel and Sanders, and Pickett suffers no setbacks in his recovery from the hamstring injury that short-circuited his pursuit of the top gig in Cleveland, it could open up a spot for Pickett to be moved..."

Edholm also listed Falcons backup Kirk Cousins as a potential trade candidate.

Kirk Cousins?

"It has been awfully quiet on the Cousins front lately, to the point where the most likely course of action feels like the Falcons not trading him and just keeping him as the backup. Most of the starting jobs around the NFL have dried up..."

There are obvious problems with both options. For one, PIckett just isn't very good at this point in his career and likely wouldn't qualify as an upgrade over Dalton as a QB2. As for Cousins, his grotesque contract makes any trade proposal a non-starter - unless the Falcons are willing to eat such a massive portion of his contract that it would give them indigestion.

Neither one should really be on Carolina's radar as far as realistic trade targets go. There is another name out there that is worth exploring, though.

Anthony Richardson?

The one NFL quarterback we would be interested in trading for is former No. 4 overall draft pick Anthony Richardson, who just lost the Indianapolis Colts' QB1 competition to Daniel Jones. While that alone says a lot about his limitations, Richardson is still only 23 years old and has immense potential.

Coming into the NFL, Richardson had only started in 24 career college games and clearly needed time to develop. So far that hasn't happened, as he's only earned 15 starts for the Colts in two years, not even the equivalent of a full season.

To be certain, the results so far have been underwhelming. Richardson has thrown more interceptions (13) than touchdown passes (11) and his other numbers are also pretty brutal.

Then again, this is still only a very small sample size for any quarterback, let alone a top-five overall draft pick who came into the NFL with a perfect athletic score.

Remember, Josh Allen was pretty awful his first two seasons in Buffalo and it wasn't until his third year as a full-time starter that he truly became Josh Allen.

Richardson may never approach Allen's level of play, but he deserves more time to grow into his game. In Carolina, Richardson would not be expected to start right away, and would sit behind Bryce Young until he either gets injured or bombs again like we saw in Weeks 1-2 last season. At a minimum, the Panthers should be willing to part with a Day 3 pick to see if he could yet live up to his potential.

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Tim Weaver
TIM WEAVER

Tim Weaver has been writing about the NFL since the 2013 season for multiple teams and outlets, including USA Today and The Sporting News. He currently covers the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers for On SI.