In 2024, the Carolina Panthers missed the playoffs for the eighth straight year but finally ended the year with something to build on. Bryce Young provided the franchise a reason to believe in him moving forward, giving Dan Morgan a direction to take the Panthers in the 2025 NFL offseason.
On paper, Carolina’s 5-12 record does not suggest a successful year. However, following their Week 11 bye week, the Panthers lost three one-score games to eventual playoff teams. Moral victories are hard to come by in the NFL, but the team’s late-season run was its best string of performances in nearly a decade.
Young was not the only prospect who showed signs of promise in 2024. Rookies Xavier Legette, Ja’Tavion Sanders and Jalen Coker all gave the team reasons to believe in the offense moving forward.
The Panthers’ defense was their main issue in 2024, particularly down the stretch of the season once Young hit his stride. The unit ended the year as a bottom-half passing defense and dead last against the run. Opposing running backs feasted on defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s front seven all season long, making that a clear focal point of the offseason.
Morgan will have some room to work with in the offseason before entering Lambeau Field in April with the No. 8 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. However, the Panthers need to be active in the trade market in 2025 as much as they were in 2024 if they wish to build on their momentum.
With a sense of direction for the first time in years, the Panthers have to capitalize on their opportunity in the 2025 NFL offseason.
WR Garrett Wilson
Garrett Wilson has not officially requested a trade but has done everything else to indicate that he is looking for a change of scenery. A lot of his availability depends on Aaron Rodgers’ offseason decision. If Rodgers decides to return to the New York Jets in 2025, so too will Davante Adams, likely making Wilson the top wideout on the trade block.
With a 1,000-yard season in each of his first three years in the league, Wilson would not be easy to acquire. However, if Morgan is serious about giving Young another chance to prove himself, he needs a bonafide alpha receiver. Wilson certainly fits the job description.
The Panthers made it known they wanted to acquire a No. 1 receiver for Young in the 2024 offseason and subsequently traded for Diontae Johnson. That move did not work out, but it was the right idea. For as much promise as Legette and Coker displayed, Young needs a proven WR1 to sustain season-long success.
Morgan may still have nightmares about the Johnson trade from a year ago, but a lot has changed since then. Young has become an entirely different player over the past three months and needs the support around him to develop into the prospect that he was expected to be. Carolina needs to go down the same well in the 2025 NFL offseason and Wilson will be their best bet.
LB Demario Davis
The Panthers’ biggest move of the 2024 offseason was trading star linebacker Brian Burns to the New York Giants. The trade sparked a series of future moves that gave Morgan a plethora of picks. In 2025, Carolina needs to reverse course and acquire a veteran linebacker.
Without Shaq Thompson in 2024, the Panthers’ linebacker corps was easily the worst in the league. Safety Xavier Woods led the team with 119 tackles on the year as no linebacker reached the century mark. Josey Jewell came the closest, notching 97 stops in 12 games.
Aside from Jewell, the combination of Jacoby Windmon, Jon Rattigan and Chandler Wooten presented one of the worst positional groups in the league. To make matters worse, Thompson hits free agency in 2025 and is not guaranteed to return.
Morgan should certainly prioritize re-signing Thompson, but he could find it difficult to hand out a big contract to an injury-prone 30-year-old. Given the thin free agency slate, that would force the Panthers to examine the trade market.
New Orleans Saints veteran Demario Davis, who will enter the final year of his current contract in 2025, is the best and most attainable option. The Saints are reportedly considering moving both Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara in the offseason, making a full-blown rebuild well within reason. If that is the case, Davis and his $12 million cap hit would be among the first assets that Mickey Loomis will look to move.
Morgan would have to dig deep into his wallet to acquire a player like Davis, but he desperately needs to address the Panthers’ poor linebacker room. Luckily, he has a large number of draft picks to pull from at his disposal.
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