Carolina Panthers: Should team be interested in a star receiver?

With the Panthers mired in a potential rebuild, would an established playmaker like Amari Cooper or A.J. Green interest Carolina?

The Carolina Panthers are about to embark on a full tear down. After losing franchise stalwarts in Luke Kuechly and Greg Olsen, a changing of the guard is inevitable, something that could affect every part of the Panthers’ offense.

With uncertainty at quarterback, offensive line and tight end, the Panthers won’t necessarily need a playmaking wide receiver but this offseason is a prime opportunity to grab one. Stars in Amari Cooper and A.J. Green will be available via free agency and names like Stefon Diggs potentially available via trade, the opportunities are there for the Panthers to add a weapon for whoever is under center.

According to Spotrac.com, Green would come with a nearly $10 million per year contract, while Cooper is closer to $20 million per year. Cooper hits the market at only 25 years old, which makes him a likely candidate to approach a contract that could make him the highest-paid receiver in the game.

The Panthers could shed salary by declining 30-year old Jarius Wright’s option for 2020 but that would leave youngsters D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel as the only two proven receivers on the team. Either way, the team will need to add, but at what price level should the team be looking?

The Panthers have an estimated $32 million in cap space but a bevy of holes on the roster. Could you really justify spending nearly 66 percent of that on one player? The answer, of course, is no. The Panthers will kindly excuse themselves from the Cooper (and likely Green) discussions because a star wide receiver is as superfluous to a losing NFL team as a closer is in baseball.

This makes a player like Diggs an even more unrealistic ask. Diggs is signed through 2023 on a cap hit that ranges from $12-15 million a year. Due to him being having several years of team control and with a proven track record of production (over 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons), Diggs could command a first-round pick to pry him away from the Vikings.

For a rebuilding team like the Panthers, that cost is incredibly prohibitive. Diggs is the type of guy you add when you are one piece away and would’ve looked great on the 2015 Panthers, not 2020.

Actually, can you even imagine Diggs on the 2015 Panthers? It likely would’ve vaulted the Panthers into one of the greatest team ever discussions, with Cam Newton taking targets away from Philly Brown and Brenton Bersin for a playmaker like Diggs. The Panthers’ 2016 first-round pick was Vernon Butler and you’d be happy to ship him away for a greater chance at winning it all.

That hypothetical scenario is one that makes sense if a team is to add a playmaking wide receiver. The Panthers are nowhere near contention in 2020. They should keep their picks, sign some bargain wide receiver free agents and flawed payers with upside. Leave the big game hunting to contenders like Dallas and New England until they are ready to open their window again.