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The Carolina Panthers were never a real threat to sign Lamar Jackson and didn't even get into the discussion for the free agent quarterback. Instead, they have opted to seek one in the draft.
That resulted in them sending an absolute haul to the Chicago Bears for the number one overall pick. Now, they can draft whoever they want.
Lamar Jackson may not have been on the Panthers' radar, but he may have influenced their decision to make the big trade. Albert Breer said via Sports Illustrated:
"During the week, big-money deals coming in for Daniel Jones in New York and Derek Carr in New Orleans, plus the potential fully guaranteed outlay of a Lamar Jackson deal more or less cemented the Panthers’ plan to go up for a quarterback in the draft, rather than find a veteran at the position in free agency."
"The Panthers also figured seeing where the market was going would motivate other teams to trade into the top three, for talented, cost-controlled options at the position. So it was time to go."
The Panthers felt that they would be unable to get Jackson and that other teams would struggle to match his demands. Therefore, more teams would be needing to move up in the draft to get a quarterback.
Carolina were behind the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders and Atlanta Falcons, all of whom need a quarterback. With Jackson effectively unavailable to all of them, the Panthers knew they needed to move up.
Why didn't the Panthers go after Lamar Jackson?
The Panthers ultimately didn't even bother with Lamar Jackson, but it was a bit of a surprise they didn't even take a shot at the former MVP.
The biggest reason, as they mentioned, was the price. Jackson will be expensive, thus handicapping a team's ability to put pieces around him.
The Panthers need those pieces to go with a quarterback.
While they have given up D.J. Moore and picks, they can arguably spend their money on complementary pieces for Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud now. The offense might end up being more complete than if they'd gotten Jackson.
