Panthers Ultimately Passing on Derek Carr is a 'Smart' Move

Carolina sees a brighter future with Carr not in it.

Carolina is positioned to take claim of the NFC South division for years to come under one condition - they find an answer at quarterback.

When you look at the defense, they've got All-Pro caliber players at each level. You have two cornerstone pieces up front in Derrick Brown and Brian Burns. Frankie Luvu at linebacker. And then a secondary that consists of Jaycee Horn, Donte Jackson, and Jeremy Chinn. Sure, there are a few spots where they need to improve or add depth, but the nucleus of that unit is going to help them be a top-10 level defense on a yearly basis. 

Offensively, they spent much of last season addressing the offensive line and they hit a perfect 3/3 on their additions of Ikem Ekwonu at left tackle, Bradley Bozeman at center, and Austin Corbett at right guard. As long as Corbett and fellow guard Brady Christensen make full recoveries from the injuries they sustained in Week 18, that group will be the best the division has to offer.

Carolina does need to add another explosive receiving threat be it at receiver or tight end and also has to find a way to bring back D'Onta Foreman, who rushed for 914 yards in a year where he only started nine games. To be able to bring Foreman and Bozeman back, plus make other free agent signings, the Panthers are going to have to clear up cap space. By signing veteran Derek Carr, that would have handcuffed Carolina, resorting to making minor moves.

Carr agreed to a four-year, $150M deal with the New Orleans Saints on Monday. For a 31-year-old quarterback who has been just a notch or two above average for much of his career, it wouldn't have made sense for the Panthers to spend that kind of money. That doesn't mean Carolina won't go out and add a quality veteran quarterback. They most likely will and it's something GM Scott Fitterer alluded to last week at the NFL Combine. 

"You could do both," he said when asked about choosing between signing a veteran or drafting a rookie QB. "But if you're going to do that, you probably wouldn't pay top dollar for a quarterback at that point. You want to be a little bit smarter about where you spend your money. Maybe that's where you put your money in a linebacker or a tight end or something else at that point."

So if Fitterer wants to go out and sign more high profile names such as a Mike Gesicki or Dalton Schultz at tight end or a Leonard Floyd at linebacker, he can do that. Bringing back Sam Darnold or signing Jacoby Brissett on a cheap one-year deal to serve as the bridge to a rookie QB saves them a ton of money versus shelling out $30M/year for Carr.

Now, it's a matter of how aggressive Fitterer and the Panthers are willing to be when it comes to moving up in the draft. Do they jump all the way up to No. 1? It's possible.

"You go get the guy you want," Fitterer said. "If you have conviction, you go get him. It's pretty simple that way. If you don't know and you're going to give all these resources to go up and get it, you're hurting your team in the long run. You better be right. You better have conviction if you do move up."

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