Are the Carolina Panthers going to make a trade soon?
According to NFL insider Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Carolina Panthers are receiving trade calls about a veteran player.
The player? QB Andy Dalton.
Dalton will earn $4 million in 2026, the final year of his contract. He's been with the Panthers since 2023.
Dalton used to be one of the top QBs in the league when he was younger. He has 39,793 passing yards and 254 passing touchdowns in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and Panthers.
Carolina must be careful here because the backup QB position is very important in the NFL. Just look at the Denver Broncos. They were forced to play Jarrett Stidham in the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots because Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury against the Buffalo Bills.
Dalton has to be considered one of the top reserve QBs in the league, but remember, Panthers president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan told Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer that he will be looking for another backup QB this offseason.
"I think we have to explore every option, whether in free agency or in the draft," Morgan stated. "And get some young, more developmental guys. And ideally, they're athletic, so they can run around, escape, make plays with their legs — you know, cause that’s the way the league is trending nowadays. So, yeah, we’ll explore every avenue there."
The Panthers must get a solid backup QB this offseason in case Young gets hurt again in 2026. If Young get hurts next season, Carolina needs someone other than Dalton playing, preferably someone who can run the ball when the pocket collapses.
It will be intriguing to see if the Panthers trade Dalton and what type of compensation they get in return if a trade does go down.
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