Carolina Panthers GM Jambo breaks down blockbuster trade for #1 overall pick

[Jambo]

 

After the combine results were released, Panthers GM Jambo told the media that he "always leaned" towards trading away the #1 overall pick, and that moving down to acquire additional assets was the optimal scenario.

 

That vision became a reality at the wee hours of Saturday morning Eastern time as the Panthers agreed to deal the No. 1 overall selection to the New York Jets in exchange for defensive end Aaron Stokes and a trio of draft picks.

 

The picks the Panthers will reportedly receive are a first round pick (No. 3) this year, a 2025 first-round selection, and a 2026 third-round selection.

 

The trade sees Carolina retain multiple top-5 picks in this year's draft while retaining future flexibility.

 

"To add capital in the future to ensure we have multiple ones in 2025, I couldn't be happier with that," said @Jambo. "But adding a double digit sack 80 overall guy to our growing defensive line was too good of an offer to pass up in addition to the extra picks."

 

@Jambo revealed that the Panthers had talked with almost double digit teams about moving #1, but that the Jets emerged as the most likely trade partner after strengthening their offer following the combine. The GM stated that he was tempted to wait for closer to the draft but that "you can't look a gift horse in the mouth. The Jets offer hit all the points we were looking for in a trade, so there was no point in waiting any longer. The longer you talk about it and think about it you can start to sway. So once we got a comfortable offer, it was better to take it now."

 

He went on to thank Jets Owner/GM @Spoof for the easy negotiations. "He was very upfront and straightforward with his offers. I'd recommend anyone working with him."

 

Stokes arrives in Carolina having spent his first pair of seasons with the Jets. This past season, he was top 10 in simNFL with 11 sacks, in addition to recording 26.5 TFL, an interception, and a safety and was voted to the Pro Bowl as the AFC's second leading vote getter at DE.

 

@Jambo described Stokes as a "fearsome pass rusher" and that in a passing league, having a good pass rush is tantamount. "We loved what we had on the DL, with 3 spots filled between [Eric] Stephens, Steven Kapfhammer [who was a 2023 Pro Bowler as well], and [2023 top 5 pick] Caleb [Suarez]. We were just looking for one good DE to round it out. Hard to beat a guy like Stokes...besides getting a great player, he's also a great person. He fits our culture and what we're trying to do in the locker room and that helps put our team in a really good place."

 

The Panthers certainly aren't done making moves this offseason with $42 million in cap space remaining, but that's much less than the over $100 million the team had going into the offseason last year. The time for full on rebuilding may be over.

[nemolee.exe]

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