Fansided

5 teams that already regret not acquiring Lamar Jackson when they had the chance

Plenty of teams turned down the chance to trade for quarterback Lamar Jackson last offseason. Here are five teams that should regret passing on the opportunity.

By Scott Rogust

AFC Divisional Playoffs - Houston Texans v Baltimore Ravens
AFC Divisional Playoffs - Houston Texans v Baltimore Ravens / Patrick Smith/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next

2. Carolina Panthers

What a disastrous year it has been for the Carolina Panthers. With Dan Snyder out as owner of the Washington Commanders, David Tepper may have taken over as the owner of the most dysfunctional team in the NFL.

In 2022, the Panthers fired head coach Matt Rhule in the middle of the season. Steve Wilks would fill in on an interim basis and helped the Panthers improve and play tough late in the year. Instead of promoting Wilks, they hired former Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich to replace him. Then, the Panthers had to try to figure out a solution to their quarterback problem.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Carolina Panthers were one of the teams who called the Baltimore Ravens about trading for Lamar Jackson. However, they didn't get close to signing Jackson to an offer sheet.

The Panthers, desperate to land a top quarterback, surrendered their first-round picks in 2023 and 2024, their second-round picks in 2023 and 2025, and wide receiver D.J. Moore to the Chicago Bears for the No. 1 overall pick in 2023. With that pick, the team selected Alabama quarterback and former Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young. While on paper this was a strong move, the results weren't there this season.

Young struggled to get out of the gate in his rookie season. They had no quality pass-catching options, especially after trading Moore to Chicago. Not to mention, the offensive line didn't hold up to protect Young. Oh, and Reich was fired after 11 games. The result? Young threw for 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while completing 59.8 percent of his passes. To make matters worse, the Panthers finished the year with a 2-15 record, which was good enough for the first-overall pick. Instead, it goes to the Bears as part of the trade last year.

Had the Panthers not made this trade, they would have Moore on the roster, whose absence loomed large. As for Jackson, it's unknown if the Ravens would have actually let him leave. But, it wouldn't have hurt to see the Panthers make an attempt to sign Jackson to an offer sheet.

Home/NFL