Hopkins headed back to Carolinas?
By: Cameron Burnett June 28, 2023

Deandre Hopkins owned the Carolinas during his Clemson career and now he could make his way back into town by signing with the Carolina Panthers according to Dov Kleiman. For the Panthers, this would be a perfect end to the roller coaster ride at the wide receiver position.

Backtrack a couple years and Carolina was just a quarterback away. Dealing with a carousel at the position that included PJ Walker and Sam Darnold, the receiving core was magnificent. The young DJ Moore led the way with three straight 1,000 yard seasons from 2019-21 and next to him was Chosen Anderson, then known as Robby. Anderson had arguably his best season in 2020 with 95 catches for 1,066 yards.

Two years later, the Panthers shipped off both. The latter was traded for Day 3 picks while DJ Moore was a part of the biggest move the Panthers have likely made in their existence. Trading a number of picks and their top receiver for a chance at securing their franchise quarterback with the No. 1 pick. This ended up being Bryce Young, and while he hasn’t seen the field yet, he’s passing with flying colors as a poster boy.

All this is to say Carolina needs a receiver. The Panthers added Adam Thielen and DJ Chark this offseason to mitigate the loss and while Thielen can be a true No. 1, he’s more of a reliable player for a rookie like Young. With that in mind. Carolina is on the prowl for Hopkins and with the third most cap space left according to OverTheCap, they have the money to do it. For all the chaos during the Panthers offseason, landing Hopkins would set up perfectly into this new era under David Tepper.