NFL Rumors: Panthers Wide Receiver Could Be Traded

After firing head coach Matt Rhule and defensive coordinator Phil Snow, the Carolina Panthers appear to be waving the white flag on their 2022 regular season. According to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer, NFL teams are anticipating a fire sale as the Panthers stockpile draft picks and position themselves for the future.

Teams will now be calling the Panthers trying to trade for some of their players as they hope Carolina will look to stockpile picks as they rebuild
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) October 10, 2022

Chief among the Panthers stars worthy of a look is wide receiver D.J. Moore. Still only 25 years old, Moore has compiled 4510 receiving yards since 2018, including three consecutive 1000-yard seasons from 2019 to 2021.

Moore signed a three-year, $61.884 million extension this past offseason, but he has struggled so far this year in the broken Panthers' offense, averaging 39.4 receiving yards per game and 5.3 yards per target. According to overthecap, he currently ranks as the 10th highest-paid wide receiver in the league per annual average.

With Matt Rhule out of Carolina, could the Panthers' stars be on the move 👀

"[For] DJ Moore, if I was Green Bay, I'd call Carolina. If I was Dallas, I'd call Carolina. And if I was Tennessee, I'd call Carolina." —@danorlovsky7 pic.twitter.com/8Ly7lSAydl
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 10, 2022

If the Panthers are about to begin a long rebuild, a change of scenery could make sense for both sides. Moore's estimation across the league could crater if his production continues to decline, so trading him sooner than later while his value is high makes sense.

Given the way wide receiver contracts have exploded, Moore could prove a bargain considering the Panthers have already paid a portion of his guarantees. He also sports an easily moveable $1.035 million salary for this year. He would fit well on any potential contender in need of a pass catcher.