Although there is much excitement amongst fans regarding the Carolina Panthers’ bold move for the first overall pick, there’s also a smidge of reasonable skepticism.
Why trade all the way up with the Chicago Bears at No. 1 when you can try for the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3? And, hey, maybe you would’ve been able to keep a certain wide receiver in the process, no?
Well, the price was just about right for the Panthers—and seemingly close to what they would’ve given to the Cardinals anyway.
MMQB senior NFL reporter Albert Breer, in a column from Monday, chronicled Carolina’s quest to the top. Amongst a bevy of intriguing information, he noted that Arizona’s ask wasn’t substantially different from what Chicago wanted.
Breer writes:
In the end, the price to go up to Arizona’s spot at No. 3 was close enough to Chicago’s price at No. 1 for the Panthers to focus on getting the first pick. Poles’s stated price was three first-round picks, if the deal was going to be done early. The Panthers knew it might end up being more than that for them specifically, since they’d be coming up eight spots, five more than Indianapolis and seven more than Houston.
The Panthers ended up relinquishing the 9th overall pick, the 61st overall pick, a 2024 first-rounder, a 2025 second-rounder and wideout DJ Moore. Breer also reported that Moore was the key to making it happen for Carolina. He adds:
For what it’s worth, rumblings I’d heard were that the price could wind up being two first-rounders and two second-rounders for teams in the top five. If you see it that way, Moore was the premium for the Bears going down to No. 9, giving up the idea of the double trade and doing the deal early.
Now, we’ll see if general manager Scott Fitterer and the Panthers are still looking for that double trade—as they’re reportedly open to moving off their newly acquired prize.
