1 blockbuster trade all 32 NFL teams can make to improve in 2024

NFL teams are setting their sights on free agency and the draft to set themselves up for success in 2024. Another often overlooked path to improvement still exists, though: trades! Today we'll look at one trade each team can make to instantly improve.

By Terrence Jordan | Feb 24, 2024, 9:37 AM EST

Justin Fields is one of many players waiting to find out if he'll have a new home in 2024 / Patrick McDermott/GettyImages

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Carolina Panthers trade for Tyler Lockett

Bryce Young had a difficult rookie year, and the fact that the player picked right after him in the 2023 draft, CJ Stroud, led his team to the playoffs, made it seem even worse. Carolina Panthers fans are discouraged, but it's way too soon to give up hope.

What the Panthers need are some weapons for Young to throw to. Adam Thielen led Carolina with 103 receptions for 1,014 yards, but no other receiver had more than 43 catches or 525 yards.

New head coach Dave Canales was the Seattle Seahawks passing game coordinator and quarterback coach before becoming the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay, and he might want to bring in someone he knows he can trust to help Young out.

Tyler Lockett is the most logical choice. The longtime Seahawk has been the model of consistency, but with DK Metcalf as the team's nominal WR1 and Jaxon Smith-Njigba primed for a bigger role in his second year, Seattle, especially with a new coaching staff of its own, might find Lockett to be expendable.

Dealing Lockett would help the Seahawks stay under the cap while allowing Smith-Njigba, their 2023 first-round pick, to blossom. In return, the Panthers' third-rounder (No. 65 overall) would help replace the second-rounder Seattle dealt to the Jets in the Leonard Williams deal.

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