3 Carolina Panthers who can be set free at trade deadline and where they could land

Playing for the Carolina Panthers in 2024 has to be the closest thing to NFL prison that we have this season. There is just about zero hope for the organization right now after they traded away a ton of draft capital to move up to pick Bryce Young, just to watch Bryce Young implode in front of their very eyes.

But, the Panthers haven't done much to help Young out. Top to bottom, the Panthers have one of the worst overall rosters across the league. They're lacking talent across the board and it's pretty hard to imagine they're anywhere close to being a contending team.

With that said, there are three veterans on the Panthers roster that Carolina could look to trade in the coming weeks, both to acquire draft capital and to free these veterans from their situation in Carolina.

3. Jadeveon Clowney could be traded back to the Baltimore Ravens

If the Panthers are going to be looking to move their veterans, sending them back to their previous teams could be a good place to start. On the defensive side of the ball, Carolina has Jadeveon Clowney, who's coming off a spectacular season with the Ravens last year.

Last season, Clowney totaled 43 tackles, 9.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles as a member of the Baltimore Ravens. The Panthers could look to trade him back to the Ravens, as the Ravens could really use an additional pass rusher on their defensive line. He would be a huge boost back on that Ravens defensive front, where he tied his single-season high in sacks in 2023.

Through five games with the Panthers this year, Clowney has 12 tackles and one sack. He's missed sometime this season, but he's been trending in the right direction and should return to game action in the near future. Injuries shouldn't be a worry in a potential trade.

The Panthers could do right by Clowney and send him back to Baltimore as he looks to chase a Super Bowl title. It would send Clowney from one of the worst teams in the league to one of the best. Talk about an upgrade.

2. Adam Thielen could be traded to the Minnesota Vikings

The Panthers have a pair of wide receivers that they could look to trade before the deadline this season with the first one being the veteran Adam Thielen.

Thielen has spent the last few weeks on the injured reserve, but he's working his way back to health and he should be active in the near future. There are plenty of contending teams that could use a reliable slot receiver like Thielen.

Jacob Robinson and Dianna Russini recently pitched the idea of the Minnesota Vikings trading a sixth-round pick for a reunion with Adam Thielen.

"Vikings add Adam Thielen, sending the Panthers a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick. The 34-year-old — who is expected to practice this week — would return to his native Minnesota and to a franchise he didn’t intend to leave. Back in purple and gold, he can man the slot position for Kevin O’Connell’s offense," They wrote.

With his value being so cheap given his age and the injuries, this is a no-brainer for Minnesota. Thielen is comfortable in Minnesota, and it would take just about zero adjusting to get him involved in the offense. Thielen would be just the boost that could take the Vikings to another level this season.

1. Diontae Johnson could be traded to the Dallas Cowboys

The Carolina Panthers should almost certainly trade their top wide receiver, Diontae Johnson, before the NFL trade deadline. There are a ton of teams around the league that could use such a skillful route runner to end the year. It wouldn't be hard for the Panthers to get a third-round pick if they were to toss him up on the trade block. It would probably fit Johnson's interests to be moved as well.

Jacob Robinson and Dianna Russini recently discussed the Panthers potentially trading Diontae Johnson, though they connected him to the New England Patriots.

"The Panthers have zero reason to accept anything less, as they’ll receive a third-round compensatory pick if Johnson signs a decent contract elsewhere in 2025," They wrote.

The connection that I want to make is with Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas doesn't have many weapons on offense. They have one of the worst running back rooms in the entire league and their wide receiver room is very top-heavy as well. They don't have much after CeeDee Lamb.

Adding Johnson would give them a legit WR2. At this point in the year, there aren't going to be many available pass catchers to trade for that are better than the Panthers' WR1. It's either make the move or keep what they have for the Cowboys.