Oct 13, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson (5) celebrates by throwing the ball into the crowd after scoring a thouchdown in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Panthers busts Kelvin Benjamin & Diontae Johnson involved in 2 NFL teams' worst trades of last 10 years

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated May 30, 2025 6:00 AM ET

The Carolina Panthers have made a number of trades over the years. Generally speaking, they have not come out on top in those deals. The Bryce Young trade, Christian McCaffrey trade, and others come to mind. The Panthers have been a bit of a farm system for other NFL teams lately, and that is primarily referring to their admittedly poor trading strategy at times.

However, it has not been all bad over the last several years. In fact, while Carolina has a few choices for its worst trade of the last decade, two players Carolina sent to other teams were listed as their worst trades by Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox.

First, Diontae Johnson. The trade to get Johnson from Pittsburgh was mediocre at best, but the trade sending Johnson to the Baltimore Ravens months later was deemed Baltimore's worst in the last decade.

Johnson was sent for what amounts to a day-three pick swap. An early sixth rounder was attached to Johnson for a late fifth, meaning the Panthers sent Johnson away for virtually nothing, and it was still deemed a massive mistake for the Ravens.

Knox said, "It's harder to find a silver lining with last year's trade for wide receiver Diontae Johnson. Baltimore only surrendered a fifth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for Johnson and a sixth-rounder, so it was a low-risk gamble. However, the payoff was essentially zero."

Second, Kelvin Benjamin. The one-time promising young wide receiver tore his ACL and was never the same, but Carolina sent him to the Buffalo Bills for a third and seventh-round pick. Benjamin was a total bust for Buffalo.

"Benjamin did not bounce back with Buffalo. He lasted a little over a year with the franchise, appearing in 18 games and producing 571 receiving yards, before he was waived in early December 2018," Knox said. The Panthers got picks out of two receivers who did virtually nothing for their new teams, so it hasn't been all bad.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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