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The Carolina Panthers have been aggressive in their quest to improve the defensive side of the ball this offseason, so it's not crazy to think more moves could be made.
One position that could use more love is cornerback, where the Panthers have a shaky starting situation opposite Jaycee Horn, where Michael Jackson is penciled in at the moment.
In 17 starts for the Panthers last season, he gave up a completion rate of 66.7% and a 106.5 passer rating, which shows he's much better suited in a backup role.
One way the Panthers could improve their cornerbacks room is by trading for Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who is available via trade, the team has publicly stated.
NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe listed the Panthers as one of three teams that could make a play for Ramsey because of the veteran corner's connection to defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.
Along with the Panthers, Wolfe mentioned the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Rams.
"We've heard the L.A. Rams, and their coaching and G.M. staff talk and rave about Jalen Ramsey," Wolfe said. "There's other places where he has had coaches he has loved to play for in the past, whether it be Raheem Morris in Atlanta, or Ejiro Evero in Carolina."
Ramsey's connection with Evero comes from their days together with the Rams. Evero served as Los Angeles' safeties coach from 2017-2020, and then the secondary and pass-game coordinator in 2021. Ramsey was with the Rams from 2020-2022.
Ramsey might not be the same cornerback he once was, but he's still a good one and certainly an upgrade over Jackson. Ramsey surrendered a completion rate of 62% and an 83.2 passer rating during the 2024 campaign.
As Wolfe also pointed out, money is going to play a big factor in a Ramsey trade because of his massive $72 million contract.
Ramsey has $24 million in guaranteed money left on his deal, which runs through 2028. However, there are no more funds guaranteed on the deal beyond this season.
Even still, teams are likely going to be looking for the Dolphins to pick up some of that money, but it remains to be seen if Miami plans on doing that. Doing so would net them a better return.
Currently, the Panthers are sitting with $18.6 million in cap space, so swinging a Ramsey trade seems realistic. However, Ramsey likely wants to join a contender and if the Dolphins abide by his wishes, the Panthers will have a tough time acquiring him.
More must-reads:
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Packers announce head-turning roster move one day after 2025 Lions sweep
Fresh off a Thanksgiving win on Thursday against the Detroit Lions on the road at Ford Field in Detroit, the Green Bay Packers made a notable move to reunite with kicker Lucas Havrisik. Green Bay parted ways with Havrisik just before the Lions game, but on Friday, the team announced that he’s back in the fold after getting signed to the practice squad roster. Via Green Bay’s official website: “The Green Bay Packers signed K Lucas Havrisik (HAVE-ruh-sick) to the practice squad. General Manager Brian Gutekunst announced the transaction Friday.” Lucas Havrisik insurance for now for the Packers It can be recalled that Havrisik saw action in three games in the 2025 NFL season for Green Bay in place of the then-injured Brandon McManus. In those games, the former Arizona Wildcats kicker went 4-for-4 on his field goals, including a franchise record-setting 61-yard make in Week 7’s 27-23 win in Glendale over the Arizona Cardinals. He was also 7-for-9 on extra-point attempts, with both misses happening in Week 11’s 27-20 victory against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. McManus is healthy and perfect in the two games since he returned to action, so there is no reason for the Packers to give his spot to someone else so Havrisik will just be insurance for now for Green Bay, which has a Week 14 date with the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field.
Hal Steinbrenner’s comments on Yankees’ profits point to a larger issue
Over Thanksgiving week, New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner provided fans with plenty of news to digest. Among notable items that are circulating, four things stand out: his resolve to lower the payroll below $300 million, the insinuation that the Yankees are not a profitable ballclub, the assumption that the Los Angeles Dodgers’ astronomical payroll played no part in their dominance and his purported support for a salary cap. When seen together, these four items seem to suggest a severe reluctance to spend. Steinbrenner made it clear he wants to come in under the luxury tax threshold. Interestingly, he called the correlation between spending and championships weak, alluding to his Yankees as well as the New York Mets as examples of teams with high payrolls and limited success. However, this opens up a discussion about how said money was spent. The Mets notably dumped a record sum on signing Juan Soto, but did little elsewhere. But what about the Yankees? When asked if it was fair to say the Yankees turned a profit after engrossing over $700 million in revenue, Steinbrenner had this to say, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch: “That’s not a fair statement or an accurate statement. Everybody wants to talk about revenues. They need to talk about our expenses, including the $100 million expense to the City of New York that we have to pay every February 1, including the COVID year. So, it all starts to add up in a hurry. “Nobody spends more money, I don’t believe, on player development, scouting, performance science. These all start to add up.” Altogether, the Yankees spent slightly under $305 million on players’ salaries in 2025. For a breakeven season, the Yankees would have needed to spend over $395 million elsewhere. Where did it all go? Steinbrenner mentioned the $100 million expense to New York City. As for the bulk of their expenses, the Yankees owner pointed towards player development, scouting and performance science. This raises a more serious question about mismanagement. The Yankees are overspending on failing analytics If most of the money was spent on development, scouting and performance science, one could easily argue that the cost has outweighed the benefits. Despite having spent so much, these efforts have produced very little. Over the years, the Yankees have seen more failures than success stories when developing major league talent. Promising players and top prospects like Gary Sanchez, Clint Frazier, Deivi Garcia, Miguel Andujar, Domingo German, Chance Adams, Justus Sheffield, Oswald Peraza and Estevan Florial, among many others, never panned out. The team also gave up on Carlos Narvaez and Agustin Ramirez in favor of Austin Wells, who underperformed the pair of rookie backstops this past season. Another catching prospect, Yankees 2018 first-round draft pick Anthony Seigler, who struggled during his time in the Yankees’ farm system as recently as last year, excelled with the Milwaukee Brewers in Triple-A this year. Anthony Volpe, Will Warren, Luis Gil and Jasson Dominguez are four current works in progress. It might also be fair to say the torpedo bat craze the Yankees started has officially ended. Of their recent triumphs, the Yankees boast Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler. Going further back, one might add Gleyber Torres and Aaron Judge to the list; however, Judge’s swing was actually developed by famed hitting coach Richard Schenck, not the Yankees. Spending on these efforts is by no means a waste; nonetheless, it’s clear the Yankees are grossly overspending for something that isn't even working. Whether it means an organizational shakeup or reallocation of funds to target proven major league talent, Steinbrenner’s approach needs to change.
Blue Jays: To extend or not to extend Shane Bieber
Early in the off-season, Shane Bieber shocked the baseball world when he opted into his player option for the 2026 season. This year, he’ll earn $16 million before entering free agency after the season ends. Bieber opting in made the Toronto Blue Jays’ off-season slightly easier, because instead of needing two starters, they only needed one. Wednesday’s signing of Dylan Cease solidified their rotation, at least for now. By signing Cease, the Blue Jays have at least two starters locked in for their 2027 rotation. Cease signed a seven-year deal, and Trey Yesavage will have five additional seasons of team control. José Berríos could opt out of his contract, but that doesn’t seem likely. Bieber and Kevin Gausman, who the Blue Jays should also consider extending, are two starters who’ll hit the market barring any re-signings. There’s a strong case to extend Bieber, especially if the Blue Jays believe he can get back to his pre-injury form. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Bieber had a 1.63 ERA and 2.07 FIP in 77.1 innings pitched, winning the American League Cy Young. The following two seasons, Bieber produced a 2.97 ERA and 2.92 FIP in 296.2 innings pitched, with a 27.8 K% and 5.8 BB%. Unfortunately, he pitched just 128 innings in 2023 with less-than-ideal results, and then required Tommy John surgery after just two starts in 2024. Those starts were his last with the Cleveland Guardians, as they traded the starter to the Blue Jays before the 2025 trade deadline for pitching prospect Khal Stephen. Upon returning from Tommy John surgery, Bieber authored a 3.57 ERA and 4.47 FIP in 40.1 innings pitched, with a 23.3 K% and 4.4 BB% in 40.1 innings pitched. The 30-year-old’s postseason was a mixed bag, producing several strong starts but getting roughed around in a few and giving up the game-winning home run in Game 7 of the World Series. As a whole, Bieber finished the playoffs with a 3.86 ERA and 4.26 FIP in 18.2 innings pitched, with a 21.7 K% and 7.2 BB%. There’s risk involved for both parties when it comes to extensions. Bieber has missed significant time in 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025 due to injuries. There’s no telling how much time he’ll miss if the Jays extend him, but it’s not a good sign. Moreover, who knows if Bieber will return to the form he showed before the 2023 season? On Bieber’s end, if he has a good 2026 season, he stands to lose money if he signs an extension early. Granted, that goes both ways because he stands to lose money if he has a rough season, if he doesn’t sign an extension. All that being said, the Jays and Bieber will probably let the 2026 season play out and go from there. It’ll be a big season in determining if Bieber returns to the front-end-of-the-rotation starter he was in the past, or a middle-of-the-rotation starter. Surely, they’ll have interest in reuniting with him at the conclusion of the 2026 season.
Patrick Mahomes has blunt take on Chiefs' disappointing season
The Kansas City Chiefs couldn't secure the win on Thanksgiving, dropping to 6-6 for the season after a 31-28 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys. All of Kansas City's losses have been by just one possession, and they might not even make the playoffs now. Thursday's loss followed an epic 23-20 overtime comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Every time it looks like the Chiefs will get back on track, they take a couple of steps back. That's why, even though he still believes in this team, quarterback Patrick Mahomes had a pretty blunt way of describing how the season has gone for Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes calls out the Chiefs' inconsistency “Our ceiling is playing in the Super Bowl," Mahomes said, per Marleah Campbell of KCTV. "We can beat anybody, but we’ve shown that we can lose to anybody.” Mahomes was the only bright spot for Andy Reid's team in the loss. He completed 66.7% of his passes for 261 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, and kept extending plays and making things happen behind a banged-up and inefficient offensive line. Kansas City's playoff hopes are alive for now, but it can't afford any mistakes from now on. They will face the Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos at home, and they have road games against the Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans. Of course, facing the best defenses in the game and three divisional rivals is far from ideal, but there won't be a better way to prove that the Chiefs' dynasty is far from over.
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