The Carolina Panthers were recently pegged as a possible landing spot for a veteran wide receiver who is a former Comeback Player of the Year winner
The Carolina Panthers have been very busy in free agency this offseason but have been quiet at wide receiver.
The team's top three from last season — Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker — remain intact but Thielen is on the downside of his career and Coker and Legette still have something to prove.
Carolina desperately needs to add another veteran option in the wide receivers room if it hopes to see Bryce Young continue to make strides.
That's why the Panthers were recently linked to former Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen, who remains one of the top options on the free-agent market at the position.
The person linking the Panthers to Allen is Last Word on Sports' David Latham, who thinks Carolina should go after Allen, especially if they miss out on a top wideout in the draft.
"The 2025 NFL Draft class is weak at the wide receiver position, which means the Carolina Panthers could target Keenan Allen if they miss on someone like Tet McMillan," Latham wrote. "While Carolina has some promising young players in Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker, they could use another proven veteran. Adam Thielen isn’t getting any younger, and Keenan Allen could be a more productive player at this stage in their respective careers."
Allen did not have the kind of year we're accustomed to seeing him have in 2024, but the Bears were also a dysfunctional mess, especially on offense, so we won't hold it against him.
Allen is one year removed from a 1,243-yard season, and while there is an obvious concern about a decline for the 32-year-old, he deserves the benefit of the doubt that he can still be a true difference-maker.
Even a diminished Allen would offer an upgrade for the Panthers, and he'd give Young a strong security blanket in the short-to-intermediate areas of the field.
Allen is projected to land a two-year, $22.1 million deal, but his price has likely gone down since the start of free agency. Even if Allen costs that much, the Panthers can afford him with $16.3 million in cap space.
That said, with Allen set to turn 33 in April, the team should only commit to him for one season, whether that be via a one-year deal or a two-year pact that has an out in 2026.
