NFL DRAFT

How much money will the number 1 in the NFL Draft make playing for the Panthers in his first year?

Carolina’s organization will have to open its checkbook if they want to sign the player they think will be the face of the franchise for years to come.

STACY REVEREAFP

In a movement that did not surprise many due to the needs that the organization has and the urgency to build a team as quickly as possible that allows them to be competitive again, the Carolina Panthers obtained pick 1 of the Draft in the first days of March thanks to a trade with the Chicago Bears.

Only time will tell if the Panthers’ decision was an expensive one or if it was a bargain. What is certain is that Carolina promptly gave Chicago two first-round picks in addition to a second-round pick and receiver DJ Moore.

General manager Ryan Poles put his prime position up for grabs in a year when the Bears didn’t need to draft a quarterback because of Justin Fields’ progress. It is clear that a decision of this caliber is made thinking of chasing a player with the expectations of a superstar.

With the Panthers in desperate need of a franchise quarterback, the options are reduced to a small handful of players who muster the tools to become the first pick in the Draft, which takes place this Thursday in Kansas City.

According to multiple reports in the Carolina sports press, the Panthers will take Ohio State talent CJ Stroud, although there are other names on the deck. Josh McCown, former NFL QB and current Carolina coach at this position, spoke with Stroud during Pro Day on Ohio St. He practically guaranteed that the team would go after him instead of Alabama’s Bryce Young.

Thanks to his arm’s accuracy, Stroud is the favorite, which caught the scouts’ attention. He finished with a 69.3 percent completion rate. A percentage that excites coaches.

Aside from ball placement, he can identify early in the play who’s going to be open and who isn’t. Some of the other quarterbacks in his class get caught up in overthinking about the pocket. That is not the case at all for Stroud.

With CJ’s talent being the most coveted by teams looking for a quarterback this year, how much will the Panthers have to pay to get him?

The closest reference to know the contract that the Panthers can give to their first selection is in 2021 when the Jacksonville Jaguars took Trevor Lawrance with pick 1. He signed a four-year deal for 36 million dollars.

The main negotiation that the Carolina Panthers had to close is already completed. Getting the No. 1 pick was a tug-of-war, and now they’ll have to deal with CJ Stroud. According to some predictions made by specialized sites such as Spotrac, if the Panthers draft a quarterback, they must offer him a contract of 41 million dollars.

In 2022 the rookie passer with the best contract was Kenny Pickett, with seven million dollars for four seasons. However, he was taken with pick 20 by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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