The Carolina Panthers, knowingly or not, have addressed their situation under center with reckless abandon over the past two seasons. Throwing blind faith and a ton of resources into Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Darnold, well, isn’t the most level-minded strategy.
But this? This would be even more reckless.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, multiple teams are willing to trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson without the guarantee of a settlement on his 22 civil cases. And, if history is any indicator, the Panthers may very likely still be one of those teams.
“Per a source with knowledge of the situation, multiple teams are indeed willing to make the deal, as long as the criminal situation is resolved,” Florio writes of the interested parties that are seeking some assurance. “Last year, the Dolphins insisted on settlement of all cases before a trade would be finalized. The Panthers were willing to make the deal regardless of the civil (or criminal) cases, but Watson didn’t want to waive his no-trade clause for a trade to Carolina.
“The teams currently willing to do a deal without a settlement of the civil cases aren’t known,” he then adds. “But they’re out there, lurking and strategizing and planning as the quarterback carousel prepares to spin.”
That—coupled with Carolina’s desperation for a proven passer and the fact that they’ve been connected to Watson for over a year now—is certainly enough to at least assume they’re one of those teams. If they are, that scent of desperation is just growing stronger and fouler by the day.
