We bring you another edition of this week’s mailbag. Not so many questions so we’ll get a bit deeper with the answers!
Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! We approach the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, and the NFC South is eliminated. It’s the offseason for Panthers fans, but I called on any participants who wanted to to share their favorite NFC South memories from this season as the topic of the week. I’m going to share mine, just for fun!
My favorite part of this season for the NFC South, was the hype the Saints gathered following their 40+ point performances against the Panthers and the Cowboys in the first two weeks of the season. Early on, the Saints had crept into the playoff discussion and were definitely in the conversation for early favorites in the NFC South. Could it be that the Saints long tested formula of kicking the cap space can down the road to try and win now would get them back to a Super Bowl? Nope, instead the Saints went on to lose SEVEN straight games, with the Panthers getting their win back at the end of that skid. The Saints then fired their head coach Dennis Allen following that loss, and only mustered 3 more wins for the rest of the season. Now, they face another season over the cap ceiling, as they enter 2025 nearly $50 million over the cap. But hey, at least they have the 9th overall pick and 8 draft picks!
Let’s highlight the other response to this week’s topic of the week:
GooseCreek: Well, I have a mental block on the first half of the season but the second half was mostly positive. Being blown out by Dallas at BoA and Tampa Bay were painful but the 1 point win over New Orleans seemed to have triggered something inside the team. Possibly the memory of the beating inflicted upon them in New Orleans to start the regular season was purged with that win.
The Panthers being competitive with a depleted roster, including their under-manned defense was enough to turn the early season despair invisioning a better future in Carolina. Their was a feeling of hope attached to the team as they continued to play hard after a dismal early season, especially with taking 4 late season games into overtime and then winning 3 of those.
Bryce Young’s improved play was well received but my favorite memories of this season will be of how the team stayed together and fighting for each other when it would have been very easy to mark the season off as a lost cause.
The New Orleans Saints losing and kick-starting a Panthers rally to end the season? Golly, that just warms my cold, dead heart.
Now, let’s get into YOUR questions. To recap, Brian Answers is where we answer all your burning questions each week, whether they be Panthers related, football related, or even completely off-topic! It is the off-season, so the questions were a bit light this week. But that’s okay. Comment down below to continue the discussion, and come back for more next week in “Brian Asks” at the beginning of the week to see us answer your questions all off-season. Let’s dive in.
@WTMealey: If the Bucs let Godwin go are we interested?
You’re having 3 Panthers(including former players) over for game night.
Which 3?
What are you eating?
What game?
Who do you think wins?
- I wouldn’t see a reason not to at least test the waters with Godwin in free agency. We’ll have a better idea of what the receiver room looks like once the question of whether Adam Thielen returns for 2025 is answered, but either way, this room is going to need veterans. David Moore could return to the team in 2025, but at the time of this writing he is a free agent. The aforementioned Thielen could retire, or look to go play for a more obvious contender in 2025. He seemed happy here in 2024, but I would not fault him for wanting to go for greener pastures this upcoming season. If both are gone, the Panthers will definitely need a veteran presence, regardless of what they do in the draft. I do expect them to be in the conversation for many of the available wide receivers during the free agency period though.
- I would have Thomas Davis, Luke Kuechly, and Dave Canales over. I can listen to all 3 of these guys talk ball all day, and I can only imagine what the conversations would be like with a few libations in them, especially Luke. We’re serving wings, with blue cheese (yuck) and ranch so everybody can be included. We’re playing Betrayal at House on the Hill at some point in the night, but I also want to see what’s these guys Poker faces look like. So we’ll gauge the vibe. I expect Luke is going to beat us all in Poker, while I would expect Dave Canales to win Betrayal. The cliff notes for Betrayal is simple, you all start as allies in a haunted house in a turn based game, until someone turns into the monster/villain. I’d think Canales will have quite a few scenarios written out when he becomes the bad guy.
MtndancerSr: Will the Aints roll with Rattler or bring back Carr? How can they manage to pay players every year when they are $1 billion over the cap??
Per Overthecap, Derek Carr’s cap hit in 2025 is $51.4 million, with a dead cap hit of $50.1 million. So I would think they’ll bring him back, though whether he is the de facto starter or not is a different story. And the answer became clear this season, as their thin roster came back to bite them when injuries hit them. Most of their top players have a higher dead cap hit than actual cap hit for 2025, meaning they can’t move on from them to free up some space. I’m sure they’ll restructure some deals, they always do. But the last couple of seasons have showed the problems with their methodology over the last decade.
dayneB12: What would be the price for a Garrett Wilson trade?
I would think the Jets will want at least a 1st round pick, though likely multiple picks for a player of his caliber. I guess it would depend on how spoiled the well is there with Wilson and NY. He is currently on the 4th year of his deal, however the team that has him can exercise the 5th year option in the coming months to lock him in for 2026 as well, with the franchise tag coming into play in 2027. That added flexibility will likely allow the Jets to have a solid asking price, much like the Panthers had with Brian Burns before they fumbled his extension and had to trade him on the franchise tag. Honestly, I would not be upset if Carolina gave away a first rounder for Wilson, despite their needs on defense.
SmoothC85: What HC’s are on the hot seat in the ‘25 season? Whom (if any) would you want as a coordinator in ‘26?
Hard to say right now, but I will offer some guesses. I would imagine Falcons head coach Raheem Morris could be on the hot seat if he cannot salvage the Falcons in 2025. Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles could also be seeing some heat if he can’t get Tampa to take a step forward. Outside of the division, Kyle Shanahan (49ers) and Mike Tomlin (Steelers) could be looking down the barrel if they cannot get their teams back on track. San Francisco’s window is closing, and the Steelers can’t seem to get any better than a playoff berth and early exit as of late. I’d gladly take Mike Tomlin as a defensive coordinator if Ejiro Evero is either fired or moves on to a head coaching/new coordinator role.
That’s all this week Panthers fans! Join us every week of the off-season with your questions, keep up the discussion down below, stay safe, and KEEP POUNDING!