After an up-and-down season in Carolina, wide receiver Steve Smith is reportedly on the Panthers’ trading block, one day before the start of free agency.
According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the Panthers are trying to trade him, but it will be tough to find a home.
Smith is 34 years old, and will give any team (including the Panthers) a $7 million cap hit this season, so the chances of the Panthers finding him a new home aren’t too high.
The move is pretty surprising, as Smith has been loyal to the Panthers, playing with them for all 13 years of his NFL career. In all, Smith has caught 75 touchdowns, but had a down year this season due to injury.
Although Smith appeared in 15 games, he was more of a decoy than anything for the Panthers toward the end of the year, receiving his lowest number of targets since the 2010 season.
If the Panthers opt to release Smith, his talent and name alone will get him a decent contract on another NFL team.
Removing him from the roster would also severely limit Carolina’s receiving options.
28-year-old Ted Ginn Jr. is a free agent, and the next receiving option on the depth chart is Brandon LaFell, who finished this season with just 627 yards.
Potential landing spots for Smith include St. Louis, Oakland, Detroit or the New York Jets, all teams that have a serious need at receiver (and assuming they don’t want to find potential candidates in the draft).
Besides his ability, Smith has a strong personality that could really add a lot to a locker room and he provides playoff experience, having played in a Super Bowl with the Panthers.
Coming from a fantasy perspective, a new team could boost Smith’s value. Carolina’s defense-first approach and Cam Newton’s ability to run the ball takes away from Smith’s numbers, which he usually gets from bombs down the field.
Adding him to a team like St. Louis, that already has a capable quarterback with a big arm, or Detroit, where he’d be lined up next to Calvin Johnson, would make his value double what it would be in Carolina next season.