The Carolina Panthers need a new quarterback, and four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers could fill that role in 2025. After watching Bryce Young struggle with a poor supporting cast during his rookie season, first-year head coach Dave Canales and General Manager Dan Morgan spent the offseason adding talent to the offensive side of the ball. The team successfully landed guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis in free agency and hit on rookies Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, and Ja’Tavion Sanders, but that wasn’t enough to save Young’s career.
Carolina benched Young after two games, which shows Canales does not believe in his long-term future. While an Andy Dalton injury put Young back in the lineup, he hasn’t done enough to secure a future starting spot. On the season, the quarterback has completed just 60.1% of his passes for 820 yards, 5.4 yards per attempt, four touchdowns, and six interceptions. With their draft position steadily rising, the Panthers might have no choice but to pursue Aaron Rodgers.
Panthers Could Land Aaron Rodgers In 2025
The New York Jets entered the 2024 season with Super Bowl aspirations, but currently sit at 3-8 with no real shot at the postseason. Four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers is receiving most of the outside blame, and it’s easy to see why. The 40-year-old quarterback is not playing up to his previous standard, and his meddling in the organization has likely influenced the firings of head coach Robert Saleh and General Manager Joe Douglas. While Rodgers isn’t the unstoppable force of years past, he’s better than his 3-8 record implies.
Through 11 weeks of action, Rodgers ranks 22nd in EPA/play and 17th in PFF grade. Basically, he’s been a league-average starter whose poor record can largely be blamed on New York’s unlucky 2-5 record in one-score games. On the field, he’s a starting-caliber quarterback and could be an adequate bridge option for a team that can’t land an elite prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft. While he’s nobody’s Plan A, he might be Carolina’s best realistic option in 2025.
Draft Woes
If the season ended today, the 3-7 Panthers would hold the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The 2025 quarterback draft class is widely considered weak, with Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, and Jalen Milroe widely regarded as the only top prospects. A lot can change between now and the start of the draft, but for now, there are more quarterback-needy teams than franchise-caliber quarterbacks. This is bad news for the Panthers, as it means all three players will probably be off the board before the Panthers are on the clock.
The Titans, Giants, Raiders, Jets, and Browns all pick ahead of the Panthers, and each team could easily target a quarterback with their first-round pick. The only way for Carolina to land a potential franchise quarterback is to trade to the first-overall pick, but it’s hard to see that happening just two years after the Bryce Young fiasco. Rather than mortgaging the future for a prospect who may not succeed on an untalented roster, the Panthers could acquire Aaron Rodgers as a short-term starter and use their draft picks to build a complete roster that will be ready to support a young quarterback.
Main Photo: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports
