Trai Turner reportedly being shopped by Panthers; guard has made five straight Pro Bowls

[AZ_Bearfan]

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/trai ... pro-bowls/

by Tyler Sullivan

It may be wise for the Carolina Panthers to put a giant "under construction" sign right in front of Bank of America Stadium. No, not because they are going to overhaul the facility itself, but because of the complete retooling of the roster that is currently taking place.

We first saw the franchise begin to change its masthead with the firing of longtime head coach Ron Rivera in the midst of last season. Since then, Matt Rhule has been hired to take his place, but there have been a number of familiar faces heading out the door. Greg Olsen (signed with Seattle) and Luke Kuechly (retirement) are just two of the more recognizable names that have elected to leave Carolina through one way or another. Now, Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner may be next as ESPN's Jenna Laine reports the Panthers are shopping the 26-year-old around the league.

It's admittedly a bit puzzling to see the Panthers trying to move on from Turner. In truth, he should be a player that Rhule and company would want to keep around for the long haul, especially given his success in the league and youth. Turner will be just 27 by the start of training camp, has been to five straight Pro Bowls, and has two years remaining on the four-year, $45 million contract he signed with Carolina back in 2017.

His cap hit does bump up to nearly $13 million for 2020 and balloons to $15.4 million in 2021, so that could be part of the reason why the Panthers are allegedly looking to cut bait. By getting rid of Turner now, they'd not only get what is likely to be a solid return for him in the trade market, but also clear roughly $3 million off their cap for next season.

Given the term still left on Turner's deal, his youth and reputation as one of the best interior lineman in the NFL, Carolina will likely see a number of teams lining up to try and acquire him in a deal to bolster its offensive line. Depending on what they're offering, the Panthers could pull the trigger, ship Turner out of town and continue the purge that is currently going on across the roster.

[AZ_Bearfan]

He's due 8.5 million and 11 million over the next 2 years. Too rich for this cap-strapped team?

[wab]

I saw this yesterday. They are going to want a 2nd at least.

[AZ_Bearfan]

Maybe throw Floyd into the trade?

[Moriarty]

Not happening.
For a team short on both cap and draft resources, there's no way they could responsibly give up a 2 AND 10M to fix 1 hole of many.

[Grizzled]

Very good player, contract a bit high but he's a perennial All-Pro. But this is exactly what the Bears can't do this year. Interior OL, though, can be readily filled through the draft, possibly with an undrafted guy. This is why the Bears need to draft OL (and a QB) every year, to not be in this situations.

[Grizzled]

I read he was traded to the Chargers straight up for Russell Okung, LT. Strange trade for the Panthers. Okung is 6 years older, has only one year left on his contract. They drafted a LT in 2019.