There's been quite a bit of speculation that the Carolina Panthers will have to strengthen their defensive front seven and secondary ahead of this year's trade deadline—and rightfully so. But what about the quarterback position?
Well, that's what the worldwide leader suggests—as ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen point to Carolina as one of three top fits for Las Vegas' Kirk Cousins. Fowler writes:
Cousins played well enough through seven games that he has trade value. So does his contract, which after being reworked features a $1.3 million base salary. Aidan O'Connell, the Raiders' QB3, is a former starter who could slide into the primary backup role to Fernando Mendoza if Las Vegas is ready to start the rookie. There are no glaring needs at quarterback
leaguewide, but injuries happen every week. The Raiders have not planned to be overly active at the deadline.
If they're trying to sell Cousins as a new insurance policy to Panthers starter Bryce Young, then we might be buying.
The four-time Pro Bowler would undoubtedly be a better option to turn to, if Young were to go down, than current second-stringer Kenny Pickett. Cousins has played rather impressively here in his 15th NFL campaign—having thrown for 1,877 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions through seven contests with the Raiders.
But an acquisition of Cousins, who's on a one-year, $11 million pact, could entail some cap maneuvering that may not be worth the trouble. Pickett is signed to a one-year, $4 million guaranteed deal—so that'd be a lot of money Carolina would have to tinker with for some backups.
Plus, their cap space—as we alluded to earlier—should be devoted to fixing their holes on defense. On that note, Fowler and Bowen also link the Panthers to Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Riq Woolen and Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Donte Jackson.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers named top fit for 4-time Pro Bowl QB ahead of 2026 NFL trade deadline
