Panthers To Sign Chris Smith
The Panthers have agreed to sign defensive lineman Chris Smith, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal that will allow Smith to stay local as he returns to football.
Smith was away from the game in 2019 after the tragic death of his girlfriend. Recently, Smith’s camp reached out to teams to let them know that he was ready to make his NFL return. The Arkansas product met with the Panthers on Tuesday and the Bengals on Wednesday, but ultimately circled back to Charlotte to sign his deal. The 28-year-old hails from North Carolina.
The former fifth-rounder spent the first three seasons of his career with the Jaguars before moving on to the Bengals in 2017. In Cincy, he appeared in a career-high 16 games and compiled 26 tackles and three sacks, earning him a three-year contract with the Browns. He appeared in 16 games for the Browns during the 2018 season, but he was limited to only nine games this past year.
It’s already been a busy day for the Panthers. Earlier, the team made a trade with the Chargers that would send tackle Russell Okung to Carolina and guard Trai Turner to Los Angeles.
Chargers, Panthers Agree To Okung/Turner Swap
6:01pm: Turner wants a new contract, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. It remains to be seen whether the Chargers would be willing to give him a deal that reflects the current guard market.
4:44pm: The Chargers and Panthers have reached tentative agreement on a trade that would send tackle Russell Okung to Carolina and guard Trai Turner to L.A., according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). It’s a swap of two big-time and big-bodied offensive lineman that addresses areas of need for both teams. 
The deal is not yet official, but it sounds like the core pieces are in place. Once the new league year begins on March 18, the deal can be finalized.
The Panthers started shopping Turner earlier this month and it didn’t take long for a deal to come together. He’s got two years to go on his four-year, $45MM pact, but the Chargers are happy to pick up what’s left of the tab. The contract is not cheap by any stretch, but the guard market has rapidly advanced to the point where interior enforcers are getting ~$15MM year.
Turner, who has made the Pro Bowl for the last five years, has 84 career games and 80 NFL starts to his credit. Last year, he graded out as the No. 31 ranked guard in the league, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. In 2015 – his coming-out party – he positioned as one of the game’s very best.
Okung was skeptical of his future with the Chargers and vocal about his complaints against the team. His L.A. tenure has been a bit of a mixed bag. In Year One, Okung earned Pro Bowl honors. Unfortunately, he lost much of last season due to blood clots in his lungs and a painful groin injury. All in all, he appeared in just six games for the Chargers.
No one expected Okung to fetch a ton on the trade block – he has one year left on his four-year, $53MM deal and the Bolts seemed likely to cut ties. His contract calls for a sizable $16.7MM cap hit; the Chargers had an escape hatch, however, that would have left them with just $3.5MM on the books.
The Chargers already have more than $50MM in available cap room and shedding Okung’s deal would push them into $60MM+ territory. They can direct those funds towards finding Philip Rivers‘ replacement or stick with Tyrod Taylor as their starter and spread the funds all around.
Okung, who is also looking to lead the NFLPA’s charge in CBA discussions, would probably be happy to rejoin offensive line coach Pat Meyer.
Mike Adams Retires From NFL
Mike Adams is calling it a career. On Wednesday morning, the former Pro Bowl safety announced his retirement on NFL Network (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero). 
Adams leaves the sport after 16 seasons and 228 games played. The 38-year-old suited up for the 49ers, Browns, Broncos, Colts, Panthers, and, most recently, the Texans, over the course of his career. In 2014 and 2015, his first two seasons in Indy, he stepped into the limelight with back-to-back Pro Bowl nods. Remarkably, he did it in his age 33 and 34 seasons.
Eventually, Father Time caught up with Adams. After spending two seasons as a Panthers starter with snaps at both safety spots, the Panthers allowed him to walk following the 2018 season.
Adams’ 228 games played ranks him third all-time among NFL safeties, slotting him ahead of John Lynch, Brian Dawkins, and other football legends. We here at PFR wish Adams the best in retirement.
Panthers Meet With DL Chris Smith
The Panthers will huddle up with former Browns defensive lineman Chris Smith on Tuesday, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Smith has been away from the game since his girlfriend’s tragic death last year, but he’s ready to make his return in 2020.
Smith entered the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick of the Jaguars in 2014. After that, he spent time with the Bengals and went on to ink a three-year deal with the Browns in 2018. In his first season, he notched 21 stops, two passes defensed, one sack, and a forced fumble. In 2019, he made nine appearances before being released in December. For his career, Smith has 67 total tackles and 8.5 sacks in 60 games.
The Panthers’ defensive line figures to look rather different in 2020. The team is expected to decline the 2020 option on nose tackle Dontari Poe and Gerald McCoy, Bruce Irvin, and Vernon Butler are unlikely to return. Mario Addison, who has tallied 55 sacks for the Panthers, may be the only pending free agent DL to return. Even then, it’d have to be on the Panthers’ preferred terms.
Panthers Shopping G Trai Turner?
While Cam Newton‘s Panthers status is still uncertain, longtime Carolina stalwarts Luke Kuechly and Greg Olsen are out of the picture. And another sign the Panthers are rebuilding may come on the trade market.
The Panthers are shopping five-time Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Carolina extended Turner in 2017, and despite going into his seventh season, the former third-round pick will only be 27 by Week 1.
Turner would almost certainly bring back value for the Panthers, who have paid all the guaranteed money left in the acclaimed blocker’s contract. The Panthers prioritized Turner over Andrew Norwell — whom they let walk in 2018 — and the former’s four-year, $45MM pact looks somewhat team-friendly now that the guard market is likely set to move past the $15MM-per-year benchmark.
Carolina is now likely to lose James Bradberry as well, and is unlikely to bring back Dontari Poe. the franchise’s $34MM-plus in cap space ranks on the lower end entering free agency. A Turner departure would also make matters more difficult for Christian McCaffrey and Newton, if the injury-prone quarterback is indeed back.
But the Panthers are believed to be high on potential 2021 early-entry quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields. Gutting this year’s team and adding draft capital would be a clear way to help move into position to land one of those passers.
Panthers Expected To Decline Dontari Poe’s Option
The Panthers are expected to decline Dontari Poe’s $9.8MM option for 2020, sources tell Jourdan Rodrigue and Joseph Person of The Athletic. With that, the nose tackle is now on course for free agency later this month.
Poe managed four sacks from the interior last year and played well, but he’s also coming up on his 30th birthday in August and recovering from quadriceps surgery. The Panthers, who are in the midst of a rebuild, seem intent on overhauling their defensive line, and Poe is not part of their plan.
Seven defensive linemen are ticketed for the open market and, according to Rodrigue and Person, the only DL they want to retain is Mario Addison, assuming he’d be willing to sign a short-term and team-friendly deal. Gerald McCoy, Bruce Irvin, and Vernon Butler are among the other Panthers linemen that will be changing unis in 2020.
The unit will look drastically different in 2020, though Kawann Short will return after losing much of 2019 to rotator cuff surgery. With Poe out of the picture, they’re on the hunt for a starting nose tackle. That search that could draw them to Auburn’s Derrick Brown or South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw, as Person and Rodrigue write.
QB Rumors: Stafford, Dalton, Saints
A rumor surfaced recently indicating the Lions discussed a Matthew Stafford trade. GM Bob Quinn denied this, and multiple key parties were quick to state the 11-year veteran quarterback does not want to leave Detroit. Stafford’s agent, Tom Condon, informed NFL.com’s Michael Silver his client does not want a trade (Twitter link). The quarterback’s wife, Kelly Stafford, shared on her Instagram (Twitter links via the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett) they are not angling for a new NFL city. Matthew Stafford, 32, is under contract for three more seasons.
Here is the latest from the quarterback realm, moving to a passer who very much is available for trade:
- Despite the Saints set to start a 41-year-old Drew Brees and apply a high tender to intriguing gadget player/backup Taysom Hill, they may not be prepared to draft a passer this year. Although some mock drafts have the Saints taking Utah State’s Jordan Love, Larry Holder of The Athletic notes (subscription required) the Saints do not appear to be interested. The Saints hold the No. 24 pick in the draft, and it might now be a surprise to see Love still on the board at that point.
- Brees-Hill 2020 looks like the Saints’ plan. Combine buzz centered around Bridgewater’s next team, with Holder speaking to no NFL decision-maker who expected Brees’ backup of the past two years to return. Sean Payton said it would be unrealistic for the Saints to bring back all three, and Bridgewater is expected to receive interest as a starter in free agency. The Bears, Buccaneers, Chargers, Panthers and Patriots may possess some interest, Holder hears. Though, unlike Tom Brady and Philip Rivers, no team has been connected to Bridgewater yet.
- Like Brady and Rivers, Andy Dalton has also been connected to a team. The Bears discussed a trade with the Bengals but may have to battle other teams for the nine-year veteran starter. Dalton’s agent has been working with the Bengals on potential Dalton deals, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com names the Colts and Patriots — in addition to the Bears — as teams who could potentially have interest in the contract-year passer (video link). The Colts have been connected to Rivers at multiple junctures this week, while some around the league have indeed viewed New England as a landing spot for Dalton if Brady does decide to defect in free agency. Cincinnati and New England have made multiple trades involving high-profile Bengals, and the same two decision-makers — Mike Brown and Bill Belichick — remain in place from when Corey Dillon and Chad Johnson were dealt to New England in 2004 and 2011, respectively.
James Bradberry Unlikely To Re-Sign With Panthers
Panthers cornerback James Bradberry is eligible to hit the open market later this month, and he has 22 teams interested in his services to some degree. The Panthers may be one of those teams, but do not look for Bradberry to return to Carolina in 2020.
As the 2019 season drew to a close, we heard that the Panthers were prioritizing an extension for Bradberry, and that GM Marty Hurney had asked his talented DB to be patient, thereby implying that an offer would be forthcoming. However, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic says that while there was some conversation between player and team in the fall, those talks did not advance very far (Twitter link).
Rodrigue says that the Panthers would not increase their offer, and the team “went quiet” after that. Further, because Carolina is entering a rebuild, a franchise tag — at a cost of roughly $16.5MM — is not an option.
Bradberry is one of the best corners available in free agency this year, and he is one of those players that looks better on the field than he does in advanced metrics evaluations. Given the level of interest in him, the clear consensus from around the league is that he is much better than the analytics suggest — Pro Football Focus ranked him as a middle-of-the-road defender in 2019 — and since he will only be 27 by the time the 2020 season starts, the small-school (Samford) product may not yet have hit his ceiling.
Bradberry is shooting for a deal that will pay him more than $15MM per season, and with 22 teams taking a look, he may just get what he’s asking for.
CB James Bradberry Seeking $15MM/Season, Redskins To Have Interest
James Bradberry is focused on resetting the cornerback market. Jeremy Fowler reports (via Twitter) that the veteran is seeking a contract that would pay him more than $15MM per season. The reporter notes that the Redskins are among the teams expected to be involved in the bidding.
The 2016 second-round pick has evolved into one of the top players at his position. While the advanced metrics haven’t necessarily been kind to Bradberry, he’s still put him some gaudy numbers. During his four seasons with the Panthers, the defensive back has compiled at least 10 passes defended each year. That includes a 2019 campaign where he finished with 65 tackles, one sack, 12 passes defended, and a career-high three interceptions.
As for the interest from the Redskins, this isn’t overly surprising. After all, Bradberry was fond of former Panthers head coach (and current Redskins head coach) Ron Rivera, and he said earlier this month that he’d love a reunion.
“I would love to play for Coach Rivera again,” Bradberry said. “He’s a great man and a great coach. He coached me for four years. I didn’t realize how much he meant to us until that day [he got fired]…Just how he spoke to us as men. He wasn’t overly aggressive unless he needed to be. He put his foot down when he needed to be.”
Bradberry will sit atop the cornerback market alongside Byron Jones and Chris Harris. Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard currently leads the position with an average annual value that’s barely north of $15MM.
Panthers Pick Up Chris Reed’s Option
The Panthers have exercised Chris Reed‘s option for the 2020 season, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Reed figures to provide depth along the interior line, addressing a lower priority item on the Panthers’ offseason checklist.
Reed, 28 in July, was with the Dolphins up until his late-season release. The Panthers claimed him in December and put him on the field for three games down the stretch.
His play got them curious enough to see what he can do in camp. By exercising the option, the Panthers will have Reed under contract for one more season at $1.425MM. The sum is non-guaranteed, however, so the Panthers aren’t necessarily bound to him. Reed will occupy a spot on the 90-man roster and aim for making the 53-man cut in September.
Earlier this week, the Panthers declined the option for wide receiver Jarius Wright, which will free up a few extra dollars in mid-March. Meanwhile, they seem intent on keeping former MVP Cam Newton as their starting quarterback.