CHARLOTTE — OK, offseason's over, gang. Hope you enjoyed it.
Plane tickets are booked, and we're going to Indianapolis next week for the combine, the kickoff to not just draft season, but also the free agency season that technically starts in March.
It's more of a trade show than a football function anymore (the medicals and the interviews are the big deals, not the 40s or the workouts), but the entire football world is together in one place, so there's a lot of work happening.
Hopefully, this year, all the media insiders can get along, and we don't have to add "squabbles at Starbucks" to the bingo card. Are you two going to dance or fight?
For the Panthers and the rest of the teams, it's about collecting information for the next two months, as they look for pass rushers to go with Nic Scourton (among other things), but it's one step in an involved process. And we'll be all over it next week, so keep it locked here on the dot com and the YouTube channel for all the latest.
And once we get there, we'll breathe again in a month or so.
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Do you get the sense that Dan Morgan and Co. are trying to make a "splash move" (i.e., trading for Maxx Crosby) this offseason? Or are they more focused on developing in-house? — Zach, Charlotte
Well, that would certainly be a splash, and Crosby plays a position of need at a high level.
But if we've learned anything about Morgan as a general manager the last two years, it's that he hates the idea of giving away draft picks.
They've moved around in the draft order a lot, moved some people out of town, and done some player-for-player movement. Before he was in charge, the Panthers hit a streak of flipping late picks for current players, but he doesn't even like doing that. He did trade a player he picked in the seventh round for cornerback Mike Jackson, and that's some of the best business he's done.
But to acquire a player of Crosby's magnitude is the kind of deal that requires giving up multiple high picks. That's not the kind of business Morgan is generally interested in.
It's not that they couldn't use a player like Crosby (32 of 32 teams could, including the one he's under contract to at the moment). It's that at this stage in the team's development, having draft picks — and if it's helpful to think of them as price-controlled assets, fine — is more valuable. If the Panthers were one player away from a Super Bowl defense, maybe Morgan would move off that position. They are not one player away yet, no matter how good the one player is.
Now, do I think they'll be looking for impactful defensive players in free agency? I do. Morgan has also shown us a willingness to spend big money for talent there (Robert Hunt, Damien Lewis, Tre'von Moehrig, multiple defensive pieces last year)
The Panthers got in this kind of business once before in 1998, and in hindsight, giving up two first-round picks to Washington and then paying Sean Gilbert $46.5 million for seven years (seems quaint now; it was scandalous then) turned out to be a bad idea. And it led to regime change. It's not that he was a bad player (he was above average here), or even that the money was too much (the salary cap was $52.4 million in 1998), it was the opportunity cost of the picks given away. Washington, with extra picks, traded with New Orleans and ended up with cornerback Champ Bailey, linebacker LaVar Arrington, and offensive tackle Chris Samuels. Woof. Properly managed, that would have been a core to build around.
Then again, all of that happened before you were born, so maybe you should just GET BACK TO CLASS, ZACH.
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Why do people think this season was a fluke? We beat two playoff teams; we have the best young WR in the league, and we have BRYCE FREAKING YOUNG, DERRICK BROWN, JAYCEE HORN, AND JALEN COKER. This team is ready for the long run. People just won't stop doubting us. — Luke, Park Hill, OK
Former Panthers Radio Network announcer and Friend Of The Mailbag Mick Mixon liked to call people by all three names, and Cameron Jerrell Newton just rolled off the tongue. But I don't think that's actually Bryce's middle name, Luke.
I also don't think a perceived lack of respect is anything that's going away any time soon.
The Panthers have made steady progress over the last couple of years, going from two wins to five to eight. That's a lot. But they still won the division and made the playoffs with an 8-9 record and a lot of people think that's kind of trashy (because it kind of is). To your point, they did beat the Packers and the Rams, both good teams. But the difference between them and the champion Seahawks was evident in a 27-10 loss in Week 17.
But yes, there's an improving base of talent here. Derrick Brown and Jaycee Horn are the kinds of players who could be dropped onto any roster in the league and upgrade it. Bryce Young, Tetairoa McMillan, and Jalen Coker give the passing game a place from which to grow into the future. And there are other stable places that allow them to reasonably be optimistic.
Things are getting better, that's for sure. So use that underdog status as long as you can. When it goes away, the challenge becomes different, and you might start calling people by extra names for a different reason.
And for no other reason than making me think of Mick, I'm making you this week's Friend Of The Mailbag, and getting the appropriate honorarium on the way to you.
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So glad to see JJ Jansen back for another year, and he continues to get it done. How long can he reasonably do this? — Will, Rock Hill, SC
Special teams coach Tracy Smith half-joked last year that Jansen was "everlasting," and he's got a point. He continues to do his very specialized job at a high level.
And that's the point.
To be able to perform is the only prerequisite, whether you're 20 or 40. And he has, which makes doing it at 40 that much more impressive.
Sometimes Jansen can be a little sensitive about his age — "I always tell him he looks 46," teammate Nick Scott joked — but he's still playing like a younger version of himself, if not better.
And that's another important point here. Say what you will about the decision to draft a long snapper in 2021 — and saying it was a bad decision is a generous start, since that guy was hired as an assistant coach at Youngstown State this week — the one thing that can't be argued is that it got Jansen's attention.
He started working out in a way he perhaps had not. And he's probably more athletic now than he was then. And his baseline athleticism was OK. A long snapper isn't ever going to be one of your fastest players, but he's still capable of accelerating and getting himself into positions to impact the game beyond the snapping accurately and understanding the game. And let me tell you from experience, an old dude with something to prove is one of the most powerful forces in nature.
And of course, he brings a lot of the mental game that comes with time on task, with an encyclopedic knowledge of the rules to create subtle but important edges.
So Luke Kuechly just laughed last week when asked if he was surprised that a teammate who met him in 2012 when he came here was still going.
"Yeah, no, not one bit," Kuechly said. "I mean, let's just be honest, he's big, he's strong, he takes great care of his body. I think he takes a tremendous amount of pride in his job. I think he loves the game of football. I think it scratches an itch for him that we all wish we were still playing.
"You look at JJ, he's in Year 18, so in Year 12 or 13 (ish), they drafted a kid out of Alabama, and everyone talks about the long snapper position, and JJ won a job and beat this kid out. And as nice and thoughtful as JJ is, he's ultra-competitive too. So, am I surprised that he's still playing, from a skill level? No. From a competitive aspect? No. From the love of the game of football? No."
Luke Kuechly and JJ Jansen have a lot in common that way. And others. Stay tuned to find out how much.
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Love to see JJ Jansen back for another year. (Do you think he will ever retire?) As for my question: Do you mind ranking the top 5 needs (in your opinion) for the Panthers this off-season?
Here's mine:
5. Xavier Legette improves or is replaced
4. Bryce Young's consistency improves
3. True alpha for the tight end room
2. True alpha in our inside linebacker corps
1. True alpha at edge rusher
But as a concluding statement, let me say that I have full trust in what Dan (and Dave, of course) will do this off-season to better us once again and KEEP POUNDING! — Micah, Gastonia, NC
JJ will likely keep playing until he can't. Those 1 percent shares of minor league sports teams aren't paying for themselves. I remember asking his mentor John Kasay once whether he'd consider retiring here rather than playing for another team. He looked at me like I was crazy, and replied: "You know they're paying me $1 million dollars a year to do this, right?" (Those were 2010 dollars.)
As for your question, let me begin by noting that "true alpha" is clearly going to be a new entry in this year's list of draft cliches. They can't all be alphas. A team needs a few mus too, and then they all need to get in the boat, grab an oar, and rho.
Clearly, the Panthers are looking for upgrades on defense. The pass-rush need is obvious, and finding a long-term answer at linebacker would be preferable. Dan Morgan knows he needs to find someone to fall into the lineage that includes Sam Mills, Micheal Barrow, himself, Jon Beason, and Kuechly. That would fix a number of issues on defense, in the same way Moehrig solved a few problems with the run defense last year.
Finding a left tackle to start the regular season and perhaps most of the year needs to be pretty high on the list. With Ikem Ekwonu recovering from a torn patellar tendon, they can't assume he'll be ready; they have to plan around it. So whether it's re-signing Yosh Nijman or finding an equivalent, that's a have-to, not a want-to.
They need a center because they don't have one who has played offense in the NFL on the roster at the moment.
I go back and forth on tight ends. Could they use one? Of course. But it's not in my top five needs because they can function with what they have. They could certainly use a centerfield-type safety (though Nick Scott played better last year than anyone wants to give him credit for). And while Legette gets a lot of attention for the obvious reasons, they have two starting-caliber wideouts in McMillan and Coker, so it's not nearly the panic for me it is for others. He's still 25, and he's big and strong and fast. Those guys get time to develop because they have traits that others don't.
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Now that Luke is headed to the Hall of Fame, when will the next Panther make it to Canton? And with Cam Newton eligible now, does he have a realistic shot at this? — Cliff, Cornelius, NC
We shall see. A lot of it is going to have to do with the rules the Hall of Fame put in place two years ago. The current system intended to make it harder to get in, and it has, with just three modern players getting in last year, and only four this year. Voters used to be able to count on five moderns a year. The Hall is open to considering adjustments, and we'll see what happens with the rules.
I think Newton is extremely deserving, in a way some of his quarterback peers are not. He has the MVP thing in his favor, and the unique talent thing. Cam Newton walked so Lamar Jackson could run. Before him, "running quarterbacks" were little guys like Mike Vick, but he was the first defensive end-sized guy to run the way he did. He has a pile of stats to back that up, and did a lot of "onlys" in terms of both his rushing and his run-pass stats (like being the only guy ever with 30 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing in the same season).
I'm but one of 50 on that committee, but he'll be on ballots I send in during the reduction process, because he was elite. (When I sent my original final 15 this year, it had Philip Rivers on it, but not Eli Manning, who won two Super Bowls but was ordinary as a passer throughout his career. Rivers was an elite passer; Newton was an elite dual-threat offensive weapon. When I vote for the Hall of Fame, I prefer individual excellence to sometimes-timely team success. Others choose differently.)
I don't know how many people will agree with me, but if all I wanted to be was popular, I'd base my opinions on a Twitter poll rather than just being right.
The one I'll continue to yell about is Steve Smith. He was a finalist in 2025, but when they only elected three and then jammed five first-year eligibles into the final 15 last year, he fell out of the discussion.
Smith also satisfies my requirement for being the best in the game at the thing you do. He was uncoverable in 2005 when he won the triple crown for a team that ran more than it threw (seriously, think about that), and was quarterbacked by Jake Delhomme. He's eighth on the all-time receiving yardage list. Everyone ahead of him is already in the Hall. He was always the opposing defense's first priority and was never surrounded by other Hall of Famers on offense. Again, I respect Torry Holt and believe he deserves to be in. But what Smith did throughout his career was more impressive (to me) in a less-conducive environment.
I believe Smith will eventually be enshrined. I hope Newton will. But there's also no guarantee either makes the final 15 to be discussed in an in-person meeting again next year because of the rules changes (at least we're getting together again, after being on Zoom since the pandemic).
After Kuechly, Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, and Adam Vinatieri were elected this year, that left 11 remaining finalists.
That group included the other three who made the final seven in voting and became automatic finalists in 2027 — Willie Anderson, Marshal Yanda, and Terrell Suggs. Then you add Holt, Jahri Evans, Frank Gore, Manning, Reggie Wayne, Kevin Williams, Jason Witten, and Darren Woodson.
Eligible for the first time in 2027 are Newton, Adrian Peterson, Rob Gronkowski, Richard Sherman, and Ben Roethlisberger, among others, including Andrew Whitworth, Alex Mack, and Eric Weddle. And we absolutely should get Smith back in the 15 again, he deserves that.
That's 20 names. Now get it to 15, then 10, then seven, and then maybe as few as three.
It's always been hard, which it's supposed to be. But it's become almost impossible and deserving players are being left behind.
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The coaching staff emphasizes that it wants to develop players. How does that translate in the off-season? How much interaction can take place between coaches and young players? Aren't there rules that limit them? Do players get "homework assignments" from their coaches for the offseason on things they want to see individual workouts focused on? Can they use the team facilities and training staff? Would enjoy an article on this area to understand it better. — Ron, Sarasota, FL
In lieu of a whole article, I can tell you the short version here.
Coaches can't work with players until the second phase of the offseason program, and that won't be until May. The strength and wellness staff can create a detailed and specific training program for each player, as they have (Dave Canales talked about this in relation to Coker last year).
Players can definitely work out and rehab at the stadium, and many are. And players can study film independently, and many do.
Players can go work out in groups on their own (like Bryce Young and the receivers did in Minnesota last year), but anything within the team structure has to wait until later.
Everyone needs some offseason, so the last month has included a lot of downtime.
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My question, Darin, in the offseason for the Ask the Old Guy is going through each position, is Dave and Dan putting any priority in search of a backup QB besides Andy Dalton, as he is nearing his career end? I cringe when I think what would happen if we are enjoying a winning season and Bryce is injured. Also on the defensive side, I believe most of our game losses, especially those we were leading or tied at the last minute were lost due to pass defense allowing the receivers too much separation, and receptions for enough yardage for first downs and winning FGs. I know they are taking every position seriously, but those two, I believe, should have high priority. Excited for the upcoming draft and free agency in the ongoing rebuild. Go Panthers, Keep on Pounding. — Kenneth, Stuttgart, Germany
They're looking, and you'd always want someone you could develop into being a future No. 2. That's important.
But finding someone better than Andy Dalton isn't as easy as a lot of people seem to think it is.
Dalton remains 27th on the all-time passing touchdown list, tied with some guy named Dan Fouts (he was passed by Patrick Mahomes and Jared Goff last season). He's 26th on the all-time passing yards list, about two good games from passing some guy named John Unitas for 25th and maybe three games from passing Joe Montana.
He only started the one game last year, and it didn't go well after he cracked his throwing thumb on an opponent's hand early in the game. But Dalton also throws against the Panthers' defense on a regular basis in practice, and has shown he can still get the job done.
"It's cool, it's super cool," Jaycee Horn said last year of his back-and-forth with Dalton. "Especially a guy like Andy who's been doing it for a long, long time. Everything we didn't see, he's seen it 100 times over. Just getting closer and then, him playing at a high level in this league for a long time and make it harder on us because he's a scout team quarterback, so he'll be throwing dots out there talking trash to us. But yeah, it's fun having him out there for sure."
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And on that note, let's go lightning round, brought to you by the patron saint of the lightning round Jeff from Fuquay-Varina, to close it out this week.
Darin, Love the mailbag. As another "old guy" I've had the question of why coffin corner punts have gone out of favor in the modern NFL. Back in the day, you would see them multiple times a game. We just saw Jason Myers have a beautiful one in the Super Bowl, but you rarely see them nowadays. Help me figure this out. — Jay, Raleigh, NC
Football is a risk-reward game, and a lot of punters (and their coaches) would prefer to land one inside the 10 and cover it, and take a chance on going into the end zone and giving them the 20 with a touchback. But the prevalence of Australian-style punts and the increasing willingness to go for fourth downs and kick long field goals also play a part.
Oh, Guru of the Gridiron. Woe is me! You were right about both the Cincinnati Reds and the Carolina Panthers last season. Too bad I did not listen. Nothing left for me now but weeping and gnashing of teeth. — John, Wilmington, NC
Always believe, it beats the alternative. The Panthers made the playoffs, and so did the Reds, so there's a lot to build on. Dan Morgan will be out there looking for his version of Eugenio Suarez next week.
Darin, Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You gave me the boost I was looking for in these trying times. Thank you for seeing the message behind a very different Super Bowl halftime show and having the courage to express it! Thank you for helping folks exercise their right to vote! Thank you for the humor and grace in the stories and columns about our favorite football team! Most of all, thank you for being you! As a child of the Sixties who came of age in the Seventies, you're one cool dude! Just keep being the light! (P.S. I would have voted for Kenny Anderson, too! — Jan, Flat Rock, NC
Thanks, Jan, and congratulations, you're hired as my new agent.
Just trying to be the kid my parents raised me to be, tell a few funny jokes, and maybe help a few people along the way. Primaries in North Carolina are March 3, and that'll be a good chance to decompress after a week at the combine.
