Assessing the trade candidacy of Panthers RB Miles Sanders

Miles Sanders‘ future in Carolina was a talking point leading up to the campaign and his situation still makes a departure something to watch closely for. The veteran running back is drawing trade interest as the Panthers contemplate offloading any number of contracts in the near future.

Sanders is among the players who have been mentioned in trade talk, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports. Carolina’s backfield already includes Chuba Hubbard while second-round rookie Jonathon Brooks is close to being activated. The presence of those two threatens to make Sanders expendable. Indeed, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports as well as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler note the 27-year-old is believed to be on the trade block.

That comes as no surprise given the extent to which Sanders’ Panthers tenure has been a disappointment. The former Eagle had a career year with Philadelphia in 2022, reaching a new personal watermark in yards (1,269) and touchdowns (11) en route to a Pro Bowl nod. Such production made him an attractive option on the open market and he landed a four-year, $25.4M pact with Carolina. That marked the largest running back investment of the 2022 offseason and led to high expectations for a strong showing in an undisputed lead-back role.

However, Sanders averaged only 3.3 yards per carry in his debut Panthers campaign. He was overtaken by Hubbard on the depth chart, which led to speculation a change of scenery could be in store. It became clear right after the draft, however, that Carolina general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales — neither of whom held those titles when Sanders was signed — intended to keep Sanders in place. The former third-rounder briefly faced the prospect of further backfield competition when Rashaad Penny was brought in, but the oft-injured veteran ultimately retired.

Despite that development, along with Brooks starting the year on the NFI list, Sanders has logged only a 34 percent snap share in 2024. The Penn State product has turned 33 carries into 132 yards and one touchdown while adding 65 scoreless yards in the passing game. He is therefore on track for the least-productive season of his six-year career, something which will of course hinder his market value in the eyes of prospective suitors. On the other hand, Carolina has boasted one of the league’s worst offensive lines during Sanders’ time with the team and an upgraded situation up front could spark a late-season rebound.

An acquiring team would be responsible for the remainder of Sanders’ $4.02M base salary for this year, which should be manageable for at least most teams eyeing backfield depth. He is due a $1M roster bonus on the third day of the 2025 and 2026 league years, but none of his scheduled base salaries for those campaigns are guaranteed. As such, Sanders can be considered a rental or a player whose long-term outlook will depend on a restructure being worked out to lower his future cap hits ($8.18M, then $6.98M).

The running back position has stagnated in value compared to a number of other positions in recent years, although several veterans changed teams this spring on the open market. Sanders could soon be on the move via trade, and in that event, he would have the opportunity to start over with a new team (although he would likely be intended as simply a rotational contributor, rather than a starter, on a contender). If not, the 1-6 Panthers will have a surplus at the running back spot once Brooks is activated.