2024 is looking like another lost year for the Carolina Panthers. A quarterback change has already happened, and the NFC South is getting away from them fast. Should the Panthers be active leading up to the NFL trade deadline, there's no doubt that they'd be sellers instead of buyers.
With this in mind, it's as good a time as any to dive into the Panthers' roster and identify potential trade candidates. We'll go through some of the biggest names that fans and media will surely be discussing and answer the same question for all of them: Will the Panthers consider trading them?
1. QB Bryce Young - No
The Panthers will surely be in the process of moving on from their first overall pick after this season, but trading him right now makes very little sense. Carolina would have to eat nearly $10 million in dead cap by just trading him away, and his value has never been lower after being benched for Andy Dalton a month ago.
There have been a few quarterback emergencies around the league in which it could've been feasible to offload Young for a respectable return , but those opportunities have mostly passed now. Young will stay on the team learning from Dalton on the sidelines, and his future will be decided in the offseason.
2. RB Miles Sanders - No
Sanders would be much easier for the Panthers to trade compared to Young in terms of the salary cap, but again, it comes down to value. What team is going to give up any worthwhile draft picks or players for a running back who's not even the starter on a bad team?
Sanders has the fifth-largest cap hit on the Panthers at $7,695,000 so trading him away would give them great relief to make a move, but the interest just won't be there for the 27-year old.
3. WR Diontae Johnson - Yes
Johnson has an even higher cap hit than Sanders at $10 million and has actually shown value this year. Since Dalton took over in Week 3, Johnson's 306 receiving yards rank ninth in the NFL is ninth in the league.
Carolina originally traded for Johnson back in March and, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler , "do not seem eager" to trade Johnson away just yet. But if the losing persists and Johnson is still showcasing individual value, he'll have all the makings of a player Carolina can float in trade discussions when the deadline gets closer. He'll hit free agency next offseason if they keep him for the remainder of the season.
4. RT Taylor Moton - Yes
The highest cap hit on the team belongs to one of the longest-tenured players on the roster. Moton has lived up to his $85 million extension he signed all the way back in 2021 and has two years remaining on it, including the remainder of this season. That means Moton will enter a contract year next season at the age of 31.
Moton is definitely good enough to start for a contending team at right tackle, and an acquiring team would only take on just over $4 million in salary for this year, and $17.5 million next year, equating to about a two-year, $21.5 million deal for a high quality starting tackle. That's as good of a trade piece the Panthers have to offer.
5. CB Jaycee Horn - No
If there's one healthy (sorry, Derrick Brown) piece of the Panthers' defense that's worth building around, it's Horn. The former eighth overall pick has been healthy this year and playing well after missing most of last season due to a hamstring tear. He's not even 24 years old yet, and has one more year on his rookie contract thanks to the fifth-year option.
Horn would surely garner interest on the trade block as a young and ascending cornerback, but the Panthers shouldn't be too interested in letting him go when they could extend him next offseason. Some pieces need to stick around, after all.
Related: Panthers HC Dave Canales' latest comments prove they've basically cut bait with former first-round pick
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