The Athletic reported Wednesday that the Carolina Panthers have received calls from several teams inquiring about the availability of defensive tackle Derrick Brown. According to reporter Joe Person, however, the team has no interest in trading the Pro Bowl tackle prior to the Nov. 10 trade deadline.

But, as any general manager should, Morgan will have to consider any offers that come in for Brown.

Why Trading Derrick Brown Could Make Sense

For the Panthers, trading Brown would mean receiving some serious compensation for his services. At 28 years old, Brown is a Pro Bowl player and is under contract until the 2028 season. For teams trying to build out their defensive lines, Brown is a player that can add value for many years to come.

Jacksonville is another team that has reportedly been searching for some defensive line help. The Jaguars have been connected to Brown as well as other defensive tackles. No offer has reportedly been made for Brown by the Jaguars though.

There would need to be several premium picks involved for Morgan to even consider trading Brown. The Panthers currently have several holes to fill on the roster, so more picks in the draft would be very beneficial for the team.

Brown’s contract will cost the Panthers a lot of money in the next few years. Brown signed a four-year, $96 million contract extension with the Panthers in 2024.

Brown’s cap number for 2027 will be $31.4M and for 2028 it will be $32.4M. That’s a lot of money to be paying one defensive tackle and it will limit the Panthers ability to spend elsewhere on the team.

The Panthers could look to move the defensive tackle in order to free up future cap space to spend on other players on the team’s roster. However, that wouldn’t immediately solve the team’s current salary cap woes.

Why the Panthers Should Keep Derrick Brown

Derrick Brown is a very good player on defense for the Panthers. He is not a sack artist but he is very vital to the Panthers defense as a whole.

Brown is often overlooked as a defensive tackle, as his low number of sacks makes him less noticeable to some fans. But what Brown lacks in sacks, he makes up for as a vital member of the team’s defensive line, helping to control the line of scrimmage for the team.

Brown has 21 tackles, three quarterback hits, and five passes defended through seven games this season. While none of his stats are particularly impressive, Brown’s contributions to the Panthers defense are very important.

Brown is a player that Carolina has already invested a lot of time and money in. Brown was the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Panthers and signed a major contract extension with the team in 2024.

The other concern with trading Brown is how to replace him. While the team has added some other defensive linemen to the roster, including 2nd round pick Lee Hunter, none of them are guaranteed to be able to replicate Brown’s play for the Panthers.

As the Panthers are trying to develop a team to compete on a week-in, week-out basis, they have already lost a lot of their better players in trades, including Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore and Brian Burns. Trading Brown could put the team in a similar situation, trying to replace another talented player.

What Would It Take for Carolina to Say Yes?

The Panthers can listen to trade offers for Derrick Brown and then say no. Carolina has no reason to trade Brown, unless of course another team makes an offer that is too good to refuse.

First-round picks are still very valuable in today’s game, so a first-round selection would likely need to be included in any offer the Panthers consider for Brown.

Brown is under contract for several more years and is still in the prime of his career. So, if another team is looking to add the Panthers’ defensive tackle, then they must be willing to give up similar value to what the Panthers are losing in Brown.

A first-round pick and more significant draft compensation would be a good starting point for Morgan to consider whether or not a trade would be beneficial to the team in the long run. That is an assessment of Brown's value, not a reported asking price from Carolina.

The other thing to consider is Brown’s contract. Brown’s deal was restructured prior to the start of the season and so the Panthers would have to account for the money already paid to Brown in any potential trade. This would make the financial side of a trade more complicated than simply removing Brown's contract from the roster.

Dan Morgan Shouldn't Make Another Trade He'll Regret

The Panthers are still trying to build a team to compete on a weekly basis, and the player that can be a cornerstone of that defense is Derrick Brown.

Morgan can always look to better the Panthers, even if that means trading some players for more draft picks. But the Panthers also have some good players on their roster that the team should look to keep.

The Panthers do not need to create another hole on defense in order to garner more draft picks to fill said hole.

Unless an offer comes in that Morgan simply cannot say no to, the Panthers should keep Brown on the team and try to build the rest of the defense around him.