REPORT: Panthers Were "Very Interested" in a Matthew Stafford Trade
New Carolina Panthers general manager told us all "we're going to be aggressive" and he wasn't lying.
Since officially taking over the job a couple of weeks ago, the Panthers have been mentioned in trade rumors surrounding Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson and Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford. Watson appears to be the big catch that everyone wants but Texans GM Nick Caserio stated that they do not have interest in trading him. The Lions and Stafford agreed to mutually part ways, opening the door for a trade to be completed.
Saturday night, news broke that the Lions dealt Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for QB Jared Goff, a 2021 third-round pick, a 2022 first-round pick, and a 2023 first-round pick. The initial reaction was that the Rams gave up way too much for a 32-year old quarterback. However, that might have been due to the interest from other teams such as the 49ers, Broncos, Colts, and Panthers.
According to Peter King of NBC Sports, the Panthers were "very interested" in Stafford.
With potentially four other teams in the mix, it put the Rams in a position to be willing to give up more to make the deal happen. At the end of the day, this means the Panthers are seriously considering moving on from Teddy Bridgewater. Sitting at No. 8 in the draft doesn't put Carolina in a great spot to draft one of the top three quarterbacks, so trying to acquire a veteran via trade is not all that surprising.
Should the Texans open up trade talks for Deshaun Watson, the Panthers may have to give up a king's ransom to get him.
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