It was not very long ago that the Carolina Panthers were one of the premier teams in the NFC. From 2013-2017, the Panthers made the postseason four times, winning 11+ games three times and making one trip to the Super Bowl. Since then, the team has been in a downward spiral.
The 2017 season was the last time the Panthers made the playoffs, as seven wins is the most they have had in a single campaign since that point. In 2018, they were purchased by David Tepper, who has accelerated the team’s spiral.
Since Tepper has taken over control of the team, Carolina has gone 31-68. Building a foundation has been impossible as Tepper has a quick trigger when it comes to head coaches and does some meddling in the decision process when it comes to roster building.
Ron Rivera was fired after eight seasons with the franchise, and one season by Tepper. He hired Matt Rhule, who received a record-setting contract only to be fired during Year 3 of that deal. His full-time replacement, Frank Reich, was gone even faster, as he lasted only 11 games as head coach.
Dave Canales will now be tasked with getting this team’s offense back on track, something Reich couldn’t do. His No. 1 goal will be developing Byrce Young, the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft who struggled mightily as a rookie.
There is a lot that has gone wrong under Tepper. The constant coaching changes are not ideal and he was fined $300,000 this past season for throwing a drink at a fan during his team’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
However, the most damning part of Tepper’s tenure to this point has been making trades. Two trades, one that was completed and one that wasn’t consummated, define his ownership through six seasons.
With news surfacing that the Panthers cut off contract negotiations with star edge rusher Brian Burns, fans are reminded about the mistake Tepper made. Carolina was offered two first-round picks and a second-round pick from the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for Burns.
They inexplicably turned down that offer, which gave the impression Burns was someone they saw as part of their long-term plan. That is no longer the case, as Burns seems likely to hit the market and depart in free agency.
While last year’s trade with the Chicago Bears still has a chance to work out, things don’t look great a year later. Young struggled, while C.J. Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick, looks like a star with the Houston Texans.
Not only did they get the quarterback choice wrong, the Panthers paid a pretty penny to get the deal done. Star wide receiver D.J. Moore, a top-10 pick in 2023, and the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft were included in that deal.
For those keeping score at home, the Panthers are way on the losing end of two trades over the last two years. Scott Barrett of Fantasy Points shared the total tally of what the deal with the Bears, and non-deal with the Rams, cost the franchise. Look away, Panthers fans, as this is ugly.
Trades involving top picks can be franchise-altering moves. For the Panthers, they certainly were in this case, but they were on the wrong end of both of them. The Bears and Rams are now ascending franchises in the NFC, while the Panthers remain a bottom-feeder without a light at the end of the tunnel.
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