NFL pundit pitches trade sending Panthers star to AFC North contender

Jaycee Horn should be a Panther for the rest of his NFL career, but nothing is guaranteed.

BALTIMORE, MD - NOVEMBER 20: Jaycee Horn #8 of the Carolina Panthers runs back to the sidelines after celebrating with teammates during an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 20, 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland. / (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

With Derrick Brown out for the year the best defensive player for the Carolina Panthers turned out to be cornerback Jaycee Horn. After missing a lot of time due to injuries the first three seasons of his career, Horn finally managed to stay healthy for most of the 2024 campaign and wound up playing well enough to earn his first Pro Bowl nomination.

Heading into 2025, Horn only has one year remaining on his rookie contract. That means the Panthers will soon have to decide what to do with him. The sensible move is to sign Horn to a long-term deal, one that would lock him up for the long run.

However, with this franchise you can never bank on them making the sensible move. Last night we saw two former Carolina defenders making a big imact for the Washington Commanders, as Frankie Luvu and Jeremy Chinn helped lead them to their first NFC Championship since 1991.

If the Panthers can't come to an agreemen with Horn they may end up dealing him to another team. David Latham at Last Word on Sports believes that the Baltimore Ravens could be a trade destination for Horn if that plays out.

LWOS on Jaycee Horn to Ravens

"If the Panthers trade him, Jaycee Horn could form the NFL’s most fearsome secondary with the Ravens. In the short term, teams will not be able to throw the ball on a defensive backfield comprised of Horn, Wiggins and Humphrey. Even as Humphrey starts slowing down, Horn and Wiggins can still be a lockdown duo for at least the next five years."

Horn would no doubt look good in those all-black Ravens uniforms, and adding him might give Baltimore the best secondary in the league once again.

However, Panthers fans might just riot if this goes down - and they'd be right to. General manager Dan Morgan gets a bit of a pass for being new to the job last year but now he needs to start hitting the right notes, or else this second-half surge we saw from Bryce Young and the Panthers will go to aste.

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