Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper has not been happy with how his team has performed this year (or the past few years) and their trade up to No. 1 overall to draft Bryce Young in the 2023 NFL Draft has proven to be a costly one. But Tepper revealed that it almost came together differently.
Speaking to reporters this week, Tepper revealed that the Panthers initially had an agreement in place with both the Chicago Bears and the Houston Texans on a three-way trade. The deal would have given Houston the first pick, Carolina the second pick, and given Chicago the ninth overall pick.
But according to Tepper, the Texans backed out of the trade prior to the draft and so he directed the general manager to execute a trade for the top overall pick.
NFL fans were less than amused by this revelation from Tepper, especially when he explained that – by his own admission – he’s impatient when it comes to making moves. As a result, fans expressed their displeasure in the comments:
The #Panthers had a three way trade with Chicago and Houston to move up to the second overall pick, until the Texans changed their mind at the last second. pic.twitter.com/LI4Ssqdsif
— Michael Rimmer (@avl_mike) November 15, 2023
“My 85 year old grandma can negotiate better than Tepper,” one user wrote.
“So the Panthers called a press conference to announce that CJ Stroud is really good and they knew all along?” another wondered.
“I REALLY wish he would stop talking,” a third lamented.
The end result is a trade that might not only leave them with the NFL’s worst record next year, but one that will keep them from capitalizing on it because they gave up a first-round draft pick to make it happen.