Calvin Johnson Trade Options: Carolina, Philadelphia Among Options?
Oct 5, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) reacts after fumbling at the goal line against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated Detroit, 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Arguably one of the greatest receivers of all time could be on the move when this weeks trade deadline hits. When the Detroit Lions drafted Calvin Johnson with the second overall pick in 2007, they could only dream of Megatron being the play he’s become. I’m sure they also didn’t imagine being 1-7 half way through their 2015 campaign. A team with playoff aspirations is now reeling and looking for a fresh start. They will all but likely have a top five pick, possibly the first overall.
When a team is at a level as low as this one, the smartest thing to do is liquidate their assets. Who is the Detroit Lions greatest asset? Calvin Johnson. With a contract that’s due to pay him another $80 million over the next four seasons, it would behoove the Lions to free up that cap to plug holes across the field. It’s not about looking at next year, but the next 5 to 10 years.
So, who could possibly be able to shovel out the draft picks and cash to a superstar wide receiver like Calvin Johnson?
The Carolina Panthers are the first team that jumps off the page for me. A team that’s still undefeated after six games, there’s clearly hopes of a deep playoff run in Carolina. The Panthers are completely bare at wide receiver. They lost Kelvin Benjamin in the preseason with an ACL and rookie (and identical football twin) Devin Funchess has been on and off the field. Their starters are
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Corey Brown and Ted Ginn with Jericho Cotchery getting time as well. It’s probably the worst receiving corp in football.
Now from a cap perspective this might be rough. The Panthers would have to move a player like Mike Tolbert (due $3 million this season) or one of their wide receivers. Detroit would most likely have to ship cash over in the deal or Johnson would restructure his deal to be more cap friendly.
Another interesting team could be Philadelphia. I don’t see this as something that’s very likely, but it makes sense for a team also starving for a wide receiver. Sophomore Jordan Matthews is battling a hand ligament injury, which results in multiple drops. Rookie Nelson Agholor is also battling injury, so we haven’t seen much of him so far. Other than that, Riley Cooper and Miles Austin
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represent the rest of the group. This is a 3-4 team that Adam Schefter picked to win the Super Bowl.
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Pass rusher Vinny Curry is reportedly on the trade block. What does Detroit need? A pass rusher. This helps both teams out tremendously, but obviously Chip Kelly would have to move picks to make this happen.
Adding Johnson would do a number to the Eagles cap. If Sam Bradford doesn’t return and the team needs to draft a quarterback, that $12 million Bradford would have made goes directly to giving a rookie quarterback a great option to help him develop. While it’s not something I foresee happening, it could make sense for a team and a city in desperate need of some good news.