When Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper threw a drink at an opposing fan last season, we all had a pretty good idea that the floundering franchise was among the worst-run in the NFL. The Athletic‘s annual survey of 31 agents only seems to confirm that notion, among myriad other revelations about professional football.
Since The New York Times‘ sports coverage is behind a paywall, it’s worth offering a breakdown of some of the biggest takeaways from said survey. Let’s stay on the Panthers, though. Nine agents voted Carolina as the most unstable team, compared to seven votes for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Speculation has persisted that Tepper was the driving force behind the Panthers’ infamous blockbuster trade to acquire pint-sized quarterback Bryce Young with the No. 1 overall pick.
Revisiting the Brian Burns, Bryce Young, and Christian McCaffrey trades:
the Panthers basically traded:
+ QB Caleb Williams
+ RB Christian McCaffrey
+ WR D.J. Moore
+ 2023 Round 1 pick (top-10)
+ 2023 Round 2 pick
+ 2024 Round 1 pick
+ 2025 Round 1 pickin exchange for:
+ a…
— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) August 29, 2024
We’ll see if new head coach Dave Canales can get more out of Young after resurrecting Baker Mayfield’s career in Tampa, but that audacious move looks worse by the day. Tepper is cited by multiple agents as the common-denominator problem.
Which NFL franchise is the most unstable?
Thirty-one agents weighed in, and the Panthers received the most votes.
More, including the best (and worst) GMs and a Patrick Mahomes discussion ⤵️https://t.co/wAoyC6UXxe pic.twitter.com/wViJQEY3dY
— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) August 29, 2024
As for the Raiders, well, it can’t be easy as is when you’re sharing an AFC West division with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Mahomes is so freaking good, that six agents voted in favor of him earning $100 million per year.
What AAV would Patrick Mahomes receive if he were a free agent on the open market?
Six NFL agents said… more than $100 million per year.
"He’d be the NFL’s Shohei Ohtani. One of one," an agent tells @BenStandig.https://t.co/A0ML5A6KP3 pic.twitter.com/PHG09742UO
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 29, 2024
Five went as far as $75 million, with the consensus 13 votes checking in at $70 million. That’s still well north of the current high-water mark of $55 million in average annual value held by Joe Burrow, Jordan Love, and Trevor Lawrence.
The New York Jets received stern criticism, too, particularly regarding how they’ve handled Aaron Rodgers from the jump.
The Athletic spoke with 31 representatives for our sixth annual NFL agent survey.
Which NFL franchises were voted as "most unstable"?
1. Panthers
2. Raiders
T3. Jets
T3. Jaguars
T3. Cowboys
T3. CardinalsFull survey ⤵️https://t.co/A0ML5A6KP3 pic.twitter.com/QCaQH308Nk
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 29, 2024
I happen to believe Rodgers will lead the Jets to the playoffs this year in spite of all the nonsense and the relentless New York media circus. We shall see.
There wasn’t a real consensus on Dak Prescott’s contract situation, so not much there or on any other contract-related issue for that matter. Most agents thought the Falcons’ call to draft Michael Penix Jr. after signing Kirk Cousins to huge free-agent money was indeed weird.
One low-key interesting superlative came from the question, “Which GM or front-office leader do you trust most?” The answer was Eliot Wolff, New England Patriots EVP of player personnel. The Pats have worst roster in the sport right now, but perhaps they’re headed in the right direction under Wolff’s roster-building guidance sooner than many of us think.
Speaking of which, if you’re a fan of an oft-bad team or are looking for the next team who could shock the football world, it might be good to be on the Commanders (Jayden Daniels), Chargers (Jim Harbaugh), or Bears (Caleb Williams) bandwagons.
The Texans get high praise from the NFL agents, and super high praise from the agent quoted.https://t.co/BUAPNwPLhm pic.twitter.com/Y6HJ2pSfyH
— Jeremy Branham (@JeremyBranham) August 29, 2024
Glad to see that those three teams made my top seven favorite draft classes, including the top two (Bolts, Bears in that order).
My favorite bits were actually toward the end. Topics about the future of the league included a potential 18-game season. That was an encouraging 16-14 “no” vote, and even the ones who said yes added caveats like the need for another bye week.
Multiple agents advocated for college stars to be able to enter the draft early. Whether it’s one-and-done or only two years out of high school, the thinking is it’d reduce wear and tear on taxing positions, and help running backs maximize their earnings window.
A solution the NFL should listen to re: the ever-inflating QB contract market: Create a “separate salary bucket for quarterbacks.” That makes a lot of sense to me so that teams don’t self-sabotage or get penalized when they have to pay their quarterback.
Three of the best changes proposed: No preseason football; just increase joint practices. No bye for any team prior to Week 7; add an extra bye week. Finally, all grass fields. No turf. Couldn’t agree more with that last one in particular.
Some good sh*t in here, Goodell! Improved player safety. Bigger earning upsides for all players. Sounds good to me.
