The Carolina Panthers are currently in the midst of an important offseason for the future direction of the franchise. The Panthers are coming off of a relatively successful 2025 season that saw the team make their first playoff appearance in nearly a decade, losing in narrow fashion to the Los Angeles Rams after winning the NFC South.
Bryce Young appeared to have bought himself at least one more year to audition as the long-term starting quarterback and Carolina, and now, more information is coming to light on potential offseason plans regarding Carolina's backup quarterback, Andy Dalton.
“Another available QB: Carolina has been getting calls about Andy Dalton for a potential trade, per sources,” reported ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter on X, formerly Twitter.
Dalton has taken over at times for Young amid his struggles to adjust to the NFL level since being drafted by Carolina. He didn't exactly perform at a high level during his limited playing time last year for the Panthers, but he is still a veteran quarterback with a lot of experience who could theoretically fill in for various teams around the league with dubious situations at the position.
Meanwhile, the Panthers will also be looking for other ways to improve the roster this offseason on the heels of their surprising playoff appearance.
Carolina could use some help in all areas on defense, although their skill position rooms on offense are looking like some of the most promising in the league, filled with young talent at both the wide receiver and running back positions.
Of course, a lot of how far Carolina can go next year will be determined by which version of Young shows up, as inconsistency has plagued him thus far in his NFL career.
NFL free agency is set to open up on March 11, while the draft is slated for late April.
