Why Trading for Jimmy Garoppolo or Carson Wentz Makes No Sense for the Panthers

It's no secret the Panthers need to upgrade the quarterback position, but does making another trade assure them a better option?

The Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, and Indianapolis Colts are all looking to make a change at quarterback this offseason. It just so happens that the Panthers have been rumored to be in the mix for both quarterbacks the 49ers and Colts are trying to replace: Jimmy Garoppolo and Carson Wentz.

Starting with Garoppolo, he's a decent quarterback that has won a lot of football games during his time with the Niners. That said, much of that can be attributed to the stout defense San Francisco has. Garoppolo isn't necessarily a quarterback that can go win you a game. He has just 10 game-winning drives in his career which is less than Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, Nick Foles, Andy Dalton, and Ryan Tannehill. In San Francisco's two playoff wins, Garoppolo threw two picks and no touchdowns, just another example of how much the defense carried him.

After trading a 2nd, 4th, and 6th round pick for Sam Darnold, I don't think it would make much sense to strike a deal for Garoppolo, another quarterback that can't go get the job done on his own. The Panthers defense may be very talented, but they're super young and you don't want to have to rely on them week after week. On top of that, he would come with a $26.9 million cap hit in 2022. So, the Panthers would have to pay $8 million more just to have the same issues at the position. I just don't see GM Scott Fitterer entertaining those talks whatsoever.

Wentz, on the other hand, makes a little more sense. He completes passes at a 62% clip, he's mobile enough to make plays with his feet when needed, and when healthy, has shown he can be a really good quarterback in this league. Wentz does a fairly good job of taking care of the ball averaging 9.5 turnover per season, but the only problem is, it seems like the majority of those turnovers happen at the most inopportune time. 

Although he may be the better option of the two, I still don't think this is the move that makes the Panthers a contender. He's going to be 30-years-old and will be a cap hit of $28 million in 2022. If the Panthers are going to make a move at quarterback, it needs to be in the draft or a much cheaper option that isn't going to handcuff what the team can do to address other needs on the roster. 

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