5 teams that could land Jimmy Garoppolo after Russell Wilson trade
By Peter Panacy
Jimmy Garoppolo suitor No. 2: Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are another one of those NFC South teams in dire need of a quarterback. They tried making a “blockbuster” move a year ago, trading for New York Jets flameout signal-caller Sam Darnold with the hopes of resurrecting his otherwise flat career. And when that didn’t work, the Panthers tried bringing an old friend back, Cam Newton, yet that didn’t work out either.
All this, and more, led to head coach Matt Rhule squarely landing on the hot seat entering 2022. And if he doesn’t figure out some stability under center, it’ll likely be his last season in Carolina.
Yes, there are plenty of reasons why the Panthers should balk at the idea of making another trade for a middle-of-the-road quarterback like Jimmy Garoppolo. At the same time, though, Garoppolo would be a vastly better option than anything they’ve had over the last few years since Newton was in his heyday.
Rhule still have a pedigree of rebuilding downtrodden franchises, and it might be forgivable for him to have suffered such a downtrodden 2021 campaign, ultimately leading to Carolina’s disappointing 5-12 finish.
A weak division, combined with the idea of upgrading under center with Garoppolo, should help the Panthers get back into a position where they can compete for a division title.
That’d be a win for Rhule in contrast to what happened last year.