Carolina Panthers News & Rumors

D.J. Wonnum To Visit Panthers, Bears

March 12th, 2024 at 4:12pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Vikings appear poised to lose one starting edge rusher in Danielle Hunter, having made a lucrative commitment to Jonathan Greenard. Hunter’s edge partner could also soon be leaving Minnesota.

D.J. Wonnum has a free agent visit lined up with the Panthers for tomorrow, Sheena Quick of 1340AM reports. That will be followed one day later by a visit with the Bears, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Hunter has far more in the way of pedigree than Wonnum, but the latter could be set to cash in on a new deal soon.

A fourth-round pick in 2020, Wonnum has alternated between notable and complementary production. In the 2021 season, he took on a starting role for the first time and recorded eight sacks. His playing time dropped considerably the following year, though, and he saw his production fall off. A return to first-team duties ensued for 2023, and Wonnum responded by again posting eight sacks with 21 QB pressures.

The 26-year-old could thus generate a notable market for his services on a second contract. Carolina has a massive need along the edge with Brian Burns having been traded to the Giants. The Panthers have a visit lined up with Chase Young, although they are not alone in that regard.

Carolina ranked last in the league in sacks in 2023, and Chicago finished 31st. The Bears made a major move aimed at addressing their pass-rushing problems at the trade deadline, though acquiring Montez Sweat from the Commanders. He was quickly handed a monster extension, giving Chicago one foundational player on the edge. More additions could be coming, and with just over $57.5MM in cap space the Bears could outbid the Panthers or most other teams in any potential Wonnum pursuit. It will be interesting to see how many other suitors show interest in this situation.

Panthers To Sign DT A’Shawn Robinson

March 12th, 2024 at 2:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Panthers made a pair of major investments on the offensive line yesterday, and the team is now committing a long-term deal to the other side of the ball. Veteran defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson has agreed to a three-year, $22.5MM contract with Carolina, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Garafolo notes Robinson received an endorsement from Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. The pair were together when Robinson played with the Rams. That three-year stint saw him start 24 of 35 games between 2020 and ’22, although it was not sufficient to land him a multi-year deal in free agency last offseason.

Robinson joined the Giants on a one-year deal in 2023. That pact was worth up to $8MM in incentives, although the 28-year-old ultimately wound up earning its base value ($5MM). He has secured a much more lucrative investment this time around, and he will likely have a significant role to play in Carolina moving forward.

The Panthers have Derrick Brown in place as a foundational member of their D-line. The former top-1o pick enjoyed a career year in 2023, earning his first Pro Bowl nod. Brown is eligible for an extension, and talks on that front have begun. A new deal for the 25-year-old will be costly, and the overlap (starting in 2025) with Robinson’s accord will make the DT position one using up considerable cap resources.

Robinson started 13 of 17 games in New York last year, racking up 62 tackles (the second-highest mark of his career). The Alabama product was a non-factor in the passing game with no sacks and only one QB pressure, but his ability on early downs will be welcomed by Evero and Co. Carolina struggled in a number of capacities last season, including against the run. Improvement in that regard will be a key offseason goal, and the Robinson accord is one aimed at achieving it.

DE Chase Young To Visit Panthers, Saints, Titans

March 12th, 2024 at 1:35pm CST by Adam La Rose

A few of the top edge rushers in the 2024 free agent class have already found a new home. One of the more intriguing options still available is Chase Young, who has a trio of visits lined up. Carolina and New Orleans are expected host Young later this week, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. The Titans will also bring him in, colleague Ian Rapoport notes.

While Young’s Panthers meeting is taking place Thursday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football notes the former Defensive Rookie of the Year will make his trip to New Orleans on Friday.

Entering the NFL with massive expectations, Young seemed destined for a long and productive Commanders career given his play in 2020. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors that season, but things did not go according to plan after that. A torn ACL and a ruptured patellar tendon left the former No. 2 pick sidelined for considerable stretches, and his time in Washington ultimately came to an end at the trade deadline.

By the time the Commanders elected to deal Young to San Francisco, fellow defensive end (and pending free agent) Montez Sweat had been traded. The latter’s absence seemed to suggest Washington would attempt to re-sign Young, but instead his walk year concluded with the 49ers. Playing opposite Nick Bosa, Young posted only 2.5 sacks in nine regular season games with San Francisco (albeit while logging a much smaller workload). The Ohio State alum chipped in with one sack in the team’s run to the Super Bowl, but it would come as a surprise if the NFC champions made a major effort to retain him after his 2023 showing.

Still only 24, Young profiles as having some of the highest upside amongst free agents on either side of the ball this year. In both Carolina and New Orleans, he would be counted on as a key edge rush producer. The Panthers finally put an end to the Brian Burns saga on Monday, dealing him to the Giants. That has created a major vacancy along the edge, as Burns was the team’s most proficient sack artist.

Carolina was last in the league in sacks in 2023, and New Orleans did not fare much better (28th). The Saints were led in that department by Carl Granderson, but fellow defensive end Cameron Jordan was limited to a pair of sacks. Adding Young as a (potentially) impactful rusher off the edge would be beneficial to a Saints team needing to get younger on defense.

Tennessee saw 2023 sack leader Denico Autry agree to a deal with the Texans yesterday, so a replacement will be needed. Harold Landry and Arden Key are both under contract for 2024, but another rotational option would help the Titans’ front seven as the team looks to rebound from a poor performance last season. Young appears prepared to take his time vetting potential landing spots. .

Texans, Panthers Interested In LB Patrick Queen

March 12th, 2024 at 12:22pm CST by Ely Allen

MARCH 12: The Panthers are also a team to monitor on the Queen front, Joe Person of The Athletic reports. Carolina is set to lose Frankie Luvu once free agency opens, leaving a need for a new starter. Queen’s skillset would match well with the one being replaced, but the former first-rounder is no doubt a top option for additional teams. Carolina currently has roughly $25.5MM in cap space.

MARCH 11: Ever since he wasn’t tagged by the Ravens, linebacker Patrick Queen has been repeatedly linked to his former defensive coordinator, Mike Macdonald, who is the new head coach of the Seahawks. According to ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime, the Texans are officially throwing their hat into the ring for this year’s second-team All-Pro linebacker.

The Texans are set to fill some holes at linebacker with two heavy contributors hitting free agency. Blake Cashman has already agreed to a deal with the Vikings, and Denzel Perryman may not be far behind him at the door to the exit. Houston is already set to bring in former Titans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair to start alongside Christian Harris, but besides them, a number of inexperienced, young linebackers wait in the wings.

Queen would be an extremely nice pairing with Al-Shaair and Harris. Queen has been a full-time starter since his rookie season, never missing a game. As a first-round pick out of LSU, Queen struggled mightily to lead the storied Ravens defense, grading out as the second-worst linebacker in the league during his rookie season, according to Pro Football Focus. With the arrivals of Macdonald and Roquan Smith, Queen improved markedly, earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors for the first time in 2023.

If the Texans can land Queen, they could easily be set at linebacker for the 2024 season. Unfortunately, Bien-Aime notes that some in Queen’s circle are concerned that the Texans won’t come up the funds to sign the free agent defender. Spotrac.com lists a potential market value for Queen at $18.5MM per year, projecting a five-year, $92.64MM contract behind only his former teammate, Smith, and Fred Warner.

The Texans have plenty of cap space, with OverTheCap.com showing them with the sixth-most cap room to start the day. It’ll come down to whether or not Houston is willing to shell out top money for Queen to come in and once again attempt to lead a defense, this time under a great defensive mind in DeMeco Ryans.

Panthers To Send OLB Brian Burns To Giants

March 12th, 2024 at 12:10am CST by Sam Robinson

At last, a resolution is coming in the Brian Burns saga. Two years after Burns became extension-eligible, he is being traded. The Giants will be the team to pay the franchise-tagged player now.

The Giants are sending the Panthers second- and fifth-round picks for Burns, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. This deal will also come with an extension. New York will give Burns his long-sought-after extension, signing off on a five-year deal worth up to $150MM. The contract includes $87.5MM in guarantees. The Giants held an extra second-round pick from the 2023 Leonard Williams trade; that will come in handy as the team replenishes its pass rush.

Carolina-New York conversations on Burns had taken place for a stretch, and with the Panthers pausing extension talks for the 2019 first-round pick, that will lead to a scenery change. The Panthers kept Ejiro Evero in place as DC, and GM Dan Morgan was in the front office during Burns’ negotiations last year and when the Rams made a monster trade offer — one that far surpasses this actual haul — in 2022. But the Panthers were unable to complete a deal. They will now take what they can get and move on.

This moves comes nearly 18 months after the Rams proposed two first-round picks and a third for Burns at the 2022 trade deadline. In the aftermath of the Matt Rhule firing, the Panthers balked and prepared extension talks with Burns in 2023. Those conversations did not produce an agreement, and it did not sound like anything was close last year. The sides broke off talks before the season, and although more trade offers — not on the level of the Rams proposal — came out, the then-Scott Fitterer-run Panthers stood pat.

Burns has not been a top-tier edge rusher, having recorded one 10-plus-sack season (12.5 in 2022) in his five-year career. But the Giants will bet on the Florida State alum’s consistency. Burns has tallied at least 7.5 sacks in each of his NFL slates. He totaled eight last year. The former Ron Rivera-era Panthers draftee has tallied between 18 and 22 QB hits over the past four seasons. Burns’ 46 career sacks rank 12th in the NFL since 2019.

The Giants took a bit to reinvest in their edge positions following the Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon trades, but they took Azeez Ojulari in the 2021 second round. That was a Dave Gettleman-era move, and Ojulari did not play well in 2023. Ojulari only totaled 2.5 sacks in 11 games, undercutting Thibodeaux’s breakout to a degree. The Giants will pay up for Burns to go with Thibodeaux’s rookie deal, which can run through 2026 via the fifth-year option. While Burns’ AAV is not yet known, anything north of $28MM (T.J. Watt‘s deal) would bump him into second place behind only Nick Bosa among edges.

This wraps a long-running partnership for the Panthers, who had struggled to complement Burns on the edge. Yetur Gross-Matos and Justin Houston were unable to adequately do so, with hybrid performer Frankie Luvu — who is signing with the Commanders — being Carolina’s other top LB pass rusher. Gross-Matos and Marquis Haynes are free agents now. The Panthers will be in dire need at this premium position, and Monday saw a few of this year’s top edge players choose destinations already. The draft stands to be an avenue for the rebuilding team.

Panthers, G Damien Lewis Agree To Terms

March 11th, 2024 at 9:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Panthers and Rams are in a guard battle, with the bulk of the high-end payments at this position going to Carolina or Los Angeles this week. The NFC South club struck again Monday night.

Four-year Seahawks starter Damien Lewis is heading to Charlotte, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz reports. The former third-round pick has a four-year, $53MM deal in place with Carolina. After adding Robert Hunt on a monster accord, the Panthers are not stopping there. The team will give the ex-Seattle regular $26.2MM fully guaranteed, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.

Rostering the NFL’s shortest starting quarterback in Bryce Young, the Panthers’ new coaching staff will equip the team’s 2023 top pick with two proven starters. Lewis’ guard starter tenure ran longer than Hunt’s, with the Seahawks putting the former to work from the jump in 2020.

The bevy of guards on PFR’s top 50 free agents list are snapped up. This includes Michael Onwenu, the guard/tackle whom the Patriots re-signed this evening. The Panthers will come away with two of them. Hunt scored the fourth-highest AAV in guard history ($20MM), while Lewis will settle in just north of $13MM. Rumored to be pursuing guards in free agency, Carolina was quite serious about upgrading to better protect its 5-foot-10 quarterback.

Lewis has a history with Dave Canales, to a degree. The new Panthers HC was on the Seahawks’ staff from 2010-21, overlapping as an offensive assistant in Lewis’ first two Seattle seasons. Carolina’s new staff will ask the 26-year-old blocker to keep up his pace and help Young improve in 2024. The Panthers already have an upper-crust tackle payment (for Taylor Moton) on their books, but they cut center Bradley Bozeman and have LT Ikem Ekwonu on a rookie deal.

As the Seahawks became the third team since the 1970 merger to start two rookie tackles (in 2022), Lewis stood as a dependable guard option. While not garnering the attention Hunt, Onwenu and Jonah Jackson did entering free agency, the LSU alum comes away with a nice payday as many teams searched for upgrades here. Lewis started all 61 games he played as a Seahawk, ranking fourth in ESPN’s run block win rate metric in 2022. While his Pro Football Focus ratings yo-yoed, Lewis certainly played a role in Geno Smith‘s surprising re-emergence over the past two seasons. The Panthers will hope he can boost Young soon.

Giants, Panthers Discussing Brian Burns Trade

March 11th, 2024 at 4:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Much of Monday’s action has related to the opening of free agency, which will officially take place later this week. Trades – in certain cases – are still very much on the table as a roster-building strategy this time of year.

Should the Panthers elect to trade franchise-tagged edge rusher Brian Burns, the Giants could be a landing spot. SNY’s Connor Hughes reports a mutual interest exists between Burns and New York on a trade which would be accompanied by a lucrative new deal. The sides have been discussing Burns for a while, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports. No deal is final, but it appears this process has legs that could produce finality to a long-running saga. As of Monday afternoon, this process is trending toward a deal, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones tweets. Nothing is final just yet, however.

A recent development pointed to a trade being in play. Carolina paused Burns extension talks — once again, as the sides have been at it for a while off and on — just before franchise-tagging him. A tag had long been in play for the 2019 first-round pick, but trade offers have come in as well.

Teams pursued Burns at each of the past two trade deadlines, but Carolina stood pat. One of the bigger “what if?” trades in recent NFL history transpired in 2022, when the Rams offered two-first-rounders and a third for the talented edge rusher. The Panthers declined the offer, and they did not receive any proposals in that ballpark in 2023. Burns playing out his rookie contract will make matters more difficult for the Panthers to obtain comparable value to that Rams blockbuster offer in a trade.

Burns, 25, would obviously bring a major upgrade to the Giants. Big Blue has sought an edge rusher to pair with Kayvon Thibodeaux, and the first two years of a Burns contract would align with Thibodeaux’s rookie deal. The Giants can keep the 2022 first-rounder on his rookie pact through 2025, with a fifth-year option decision for ’26. Burns has sought a $30MM-per-year deal, however, and the Panthers have been reluctant to authorize it. As Carolina shifts to a new GM and coaching staff, it does seem like a trade is in play now.

While edge rushers are obviously valuable, Burns needing a top-market contract will cut into his trade value. He has not brought the kind of production Khalil Mack did when the Raiders received two first-rounders for the former Defensive Player of the Year. CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson offers that teams are hesitant to part with a first-rounder and change for Burns, who has one double-digit sack season on his resume. That said, Burns has 46 career sacks and has never totaled fewer than 7.5 in a season.

Panthers To Add G Robert Hunt

March 11th, 2024 at 2:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rumored to be chasing guards, the Panthers are paying up to help Bryce Young protection in the quarterback’s second season. They are preparing a $100MM payment to fill this need.

Robert Hunt is headed to Charlotte, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler, and NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo reveals what it will cost. Hunt is signing a five-year, $100MM deal. A three-year Dolphins guard starter, Hunt becomes only the fourth guard in NFL history to sign a deal for at least $20MM per year. Part of Hunt’s guarantee will come via a $26.5MM signing bonus, Garafolo adds.

The Dolphins’ free agents have led the way on Day 1 of the legal tampering period. Miami was preparing to lose both Hunt and Christian Wilkins; both players have received deals near the top of their positions’ markets. Hunt will slide in as an upgrade at guard for a Panthers team that saw both its guard starters — Brady Christensen, Austin Corbett — suffer season-ending injuries last year.

These injuries were among the issues that plagued Young during his rough rookie season. The Panthers will give their diminutive quarterback a better chance by helping to protect him from inside pressure, which was a common problem during the No. 1 pick’s debut. Hunt is going into his age-28 season, making it rather important he was able to cash in this year — after the cap spike created a friendlier market.

A 2020 second-round pick, Hunt slid from right tackle to right guard in 2021 and became the Dolphins’ most consistent O-lineman. As Miami moved more players around and saw other blockers suffer injuries in this span, Hunt chugged along. That said, Hunt did aggravate a hamstring injury and miss seven games last season. But the Louisiana alum started all 34 games from 2021-22. Hunt goes 330 pounds, giving the Panthers an imposing presence as they reconstruct their line in Dave Canales‘ first year.

Pro Football Focus slotted Hunt as a top-12 guard in each of the past two seasons; he played a big role in helping Mike McDaniel‘s offense ignite. The Panthers will pay up to see if he can help Young begin a real development effort, after last season saw those hopes encounter early turbulence.

Panthers To Move On From S Vonn Bell

March 11th, 2024 at 1:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Vonn Bell‘s time with the Panthers has proven to be short-lived. The veteran safety will be traded or released, ESPN’s David Newton notes.

Bell inked a three-year, $22.5MM deal with the Panthers just last offseason. He was due a $3MM roster bonus later this week, and the Panthers decided to ultimately cost their losses and move on.

Bell’s lone season with the Panthers wasn’t a disaster by any means. He started each of his 13 appearances, finishing with 69 tackles and one interception. Pro Football Focus ranked the veteran only 61st among 95 qualifying safeties, although that ranking was partly dragged down by his poor run defense score.

Pro Football Focus previously gave Bell much higher scores, ranking him as an above-average safety in four of his five seasons between 2018 and 2022. Bell spent three of those five campaigns in Cincinnati, starting all 48 of his appearances while compiling five interceptions. He also started all seven of his playoff appearances for the Bengals, including the 2021 AFC Championship Game where he had a key overtime interception on Patrick Mahomes. The defensive back began his career with the Saints, with the former second-round pick starting 45 of his 61 appearances.

With a new general manager in Dan Morgan and new head coach in Dave Canales, the Panthers have been focused on shaving some of the fat off their roster. The organization is also set to move on from the likes of tight end Hayden Hurst, center Bradley Bozeman, and cornerback Donte Jackson.

Panthers To Re-Sign CB Troy Hill

March 11th, 2024 at 8:39am CST by Sam Robinson

Troy Hill spent the 2023 season on his third team in as many years. His time in Carolina will provide short-term continuity, however. The veteran corner is re-signing on a one-year deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Serving as one of this period’s longest-running slot cornerbacks, Hill stepped into that role with the Panthers in 2023. The team signed the veteran inside cover man just before last season, reuniting the ex-Rams cog with former Los Angeles DBs coach Ejiro Evero. With Evero blocked from leaving Carolina this offseason, the Panthers are rolling with that plan once again.

Despite signing barely a week before last season, Hill played in 16 Panthers games and saw action on 50% of the 2-15 team’s defensive snaps. Hill’s age (33 in August) would not stand to line up with the Panthers’ timeline, given the significant step back that occurred last season. And teams do not exactly make a habit of signing corners nearing their mid-30s. But Hill’s familiarity with Evero’s scheme will help him stay in the game ahead of what would be a ninth NFL season.

Hill worked with Evero for four seasons in Los Angeles. While he missed the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl-winning season, the longtime slot cog was a regular as Sean McVay rebuilt the team. Hill played in Super Bowl LIII, but the Rams traded him to the Browns during the 2021 draft. He returned to L.A. in 2022, but Evero was in Denver by then.

Last season, Pro Football Focus rated Hill 77th overall among corners. He intercepted one pass and broke up six others, forcing a fumble as well. Hill is certainly not a long-term solution at this point in his career, but the Panthers will aim to use him as one of their Jaycee Horn complementary pieces in 2024. The team has more questions at corner, after cutting Donte Jackson, but Hill’s presence could answer one of those just before free agency opens.

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