It’s unusual for a team to have the first overall pick right after picking their franchise quarterback, which the Carolina Panthers would have experienced if they didn’t trade it to the Chicago Bears in the 2024 NFL Draft. In hindsight, keeping the pick could have allowed them to draft Caleb Williams over Bryce Young, who is considered a better prospect. David Tepper and the Panthers haven’t been successful since Tepper took over ownership in 2018, with their highest win total being seven in 2018 and 2022. They have a win percentage of just 31.3% since then, showing their lack of competitiveness even in the NFC South.
Therefore, it was not surprising that Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated named the Carolina Panthers as the NFL’s worst-run team when he was recently asked this question.
“I think right now, based on the past five years or so, it’d have to be the Carolina Panthers. They’ve been among the 10 worst teams in the league the past five consecutive years. They fired three coaches, all in-season, over that stretch. They’ve traded their three best players of that period—Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore and Brian Burns—and gone through significant turnover in the front office. And the constant there is owner David Tepper, who went 7–9 his first year, 2018, and has failed to match even that since.”
For far too long, Panthers supporters have had to watch other teams repeatedly batter Carolina’s football squad into submission. Despite not having a first-round pick, there is hope that coach Dave Canales can lead a swift turnaround after spending well over $100 million on new free agents. The 2024 NFL Draft should also provide some talent to the roster.
