Mailbag: Are Panthers fans getting their hopes too high for a Deshaun Watson trade?

The debate of whether the Panthers trade for, draft or sign a quarterback for the 2021 season is the biggest weight on the minds of Carolina fans, and rightfully so.

Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson reportedly officially requested a trade last week. And Panthers coach Matt Rhule hasn’t done much to quell any speculation that the Panthers are actively looking for Teddy Bridgewater’s replacement.

When asked about his confidence level in Bridgewater as a starter in 2021, Rhule said he had nothing to add to his end of season comments that the incumbent quarterback needed to have “a great offseason.”

The Panthers attempted to trade for quarterback Matthew Stafford, but the Los Angeles Rams presented a more favorable package for the Lions.

Many of your questions in this week’s mailbag center on the quarterback.

Onto the answers:

@ColbyComplains asks: How much should panthers fans be protecting their hearts when it comes to landing Deshaun Watson?

Protect it. Guard it. Don’t get your hopes up.

The Panthers will do what they can to get Deshaun Watson. New Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer said he will be in on every deal.

But I think there are other teams that have far more trade assets than the Panthers do. For instance, the Miami Dolphins. They have the third pick and the 18th pick in this year’s draft, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who will be entering his second season.

The New York Jets have the second pick, the 23rd pick and quarterback Sam Darnold.

The Panthers currently have the eighth pick.

The Texans have already said they don’t want to trade Watson. But if they do, I expect it to cost at least three first-round picks and at least one of your young defensive players. The trade for Matthew Stafford cost the Los Angeles Rams two first-round picks, a third-round pick and Jared Goff.

That isn’t wise for the Panthers, who have a number of pieces that they need to fill, and are not one piece away from competing for a Super Bowl.

The Dolphins seem to be closer. It’s an uphill climb for the Panthers.

— JMA

@panther1gb89 asks: Besides QB, how aggressive do you think the Panthers will be in this year’s free agency?

Very. Fitterer said the Panthers would be in “on every deal” in his introductory press conference.

Again, the Panthers have a lot of holes that the draft alone won’t be able to address. They need a three-technique defensive tackle, one or two linebackers, a cornerback, a pass-catching tight end, a quarterback, a backup running back and offensive linemen.

They should be aggressive. Aggressive, in the sense that they should try to get better pieces rather than temporary place holders.

Rhule said he wants to add experience to the defense, which was young last year. The Panthers are in a better cap situation than they were a year ago, so they should be able to land a good free agent if they are willing to spend money on one.

“We’re going to look at a lot of people, bring a lot of people in the building, really churn the roster on the back end,” Fitterer said. “Just really take a look at a lot of different people to see what’s out there, what fits our team and how we can build this going forward.”

— JMA

@ndrewL7 asks: Should we be prepared for a quiet free agency that might result in more players leaving than arriving?

While a good number of players left the Panthers last offseason, the team was also pretty active in free agency, especially on the offensive side of the ball. I would expect them to be a bit less active in free agency this offseason as they want to get younger on offense and that usually comes through the draft.

Some of the more veteran players signed to short-term deals have a good chance to be on the move, but that doesn’t mean that the Panthers won’t be making free agent moves. Like Jonathan said, Fitterer has shown a commitment to being involved in “every” deal, but a majority of those players won’t actually end up in Carolina.

I disagree in that I think they’ll be somewhat aggressive, especially when it comes to quarterback, but there will also be a focus on the draft, as seen in the team hiring a general manager whose biggest strength is in that area.

— AG

@DraftMassta asks: Since we offered Lions a 1st, and later round pick for Stafford, could that mean Teddy could be made a backup or trade package for another team?

Trading Bridgewater will be difficult. For one, Rhule hasn’t done much this offseason to generate much interest for Bridgewater. Bridgewater struggled the second half of the 2020 season and hasn’t shown yet that he can be a franchise quarterback.

And he’ll carry a $22.9 million cap number for the 2021 season. That’s not backup quarterback money, and teams likely won’t be willing to take on that salary.

There aren’t many quarterback options in the free-agent market, and few better than Bridgewater. Dak Prescott is the biggest name in free agency, but I think the Dallas Cowboys will find a way to sign him.

And getting Watson will be difficult.

The reality is that Bridgewater will most likely be on the Panthers’ roster next season, and could even be their starter in Week 1.

— JMA

@plymouth82 asks: Any news on Thomas Davis and/or Greg Olsen getting a one-day contract from the Panthers?

Nothing at the moment, but that’s certainly something to keep an eye on once a new league year begins in March. There’s no doubt that both will be honored for their Panthers careers in some form or fashion.

— AG

@justatweeter69 asks: What’s going to happen with KK Short ?

I think Short may be cut this offseason. He has a $19.6 million salary-cap number for the 2021 season, according to overthecap.com, which is the second-highest on the Panthers.

Cutting Short would save the Panthers $8.6 million in salary-cap space and would help the Panthers in free agency. They could also ask him to take a significant pay cut, but Short would have to agree to that.

It’s hard to justify keeping Short on the roster with a $19.6 million salary-cap number given that he’s played in only five games over the last two years after suffering two season-ending shoulder injuries. He also turned 32 this month.

In three games in 2020, Short had only six tackles and also dealt with a foot injury. The last time he had more than three sacks in a season was in 2017 when he had 7.5 sacks.

— JMA

@Iamjusthere4be1 asks: Is (Joey) Slye on the hot seat at all? Any chance of a kicker competition in training camp?

Yes, he is. The Panther signed kicker Lirim Hajrullahu to a reserve/future contract after the season and Rhule had good things to say about him during a short appearance with the team before having to leave due to work visa issues.

Slye will have to compete with Hajrullahu and potentially others for the job. It is no way guaranteed for him, especially after his inconsistent performance last season. Rhule stuck with him at the end of the season, but the door is open for someone else to be kicking for Carolina next season.

— AG

This story was originally published February 5, 2021 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Mailbag: Are Panthers fans getting their hopes too high for a Deshaun Watson trade?."