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Brian Answers: Sharing responses on Bradley Chubb, salary cap, and more!
Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...esponses-on-bradley-chubb-salary-cap-and-more
Aug 2, 2025; Charlottle, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) during Fanfest at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! The questions from fans this week took a bit of a back seat, which is understandable given we are in the dead period between the Super Bowl and Free Agency/the Combine. So, I answered some questions, and highlighted some fan responses with my thoughts to this week’s question. Let’s dive in!
KeepPounding88: How will we fulfill Rev’s wish of getting Arch Manning on the team next year?
It would probably require either the Panthers to completely implode or for Arch Manning to have another disappointing season. At least for the former, the Panthers are probably due for a horrific season after making the playoffs, even if they didn’t have a winning record.
Panthers75: How did the Panthers still end up with Thielens contract on the books for 2026? We traded the player and not the contract? I was under the assumption that the contract went with the player.
I don’t know all the details, but the Panthers aren’t on the hook for his entire contract. They show a dead cap hit of $3.3 million for 2026 per Overthecap. Most likely, that’s a combination of them redoing his deal during the 2025 off-season to bring him back and then trading him (post June 1st, so the cap hits are different). Teams also tend to negotiate the contract during trades, I believe he had taken a pay cut to go back to the Vikings. The Panthers may have been on the hook for some guarantees as a result.
And here were some of your responses to the question of the week; should the Panthers sign Bradley Chubb?
storybook: PFF graded Chubb similarly to DJ Wonnum, but Chubb got 20 more pressures and 5.5 more sacks.
Dcangio09: Should Carolina sign Bradley Chubb? That’s a loaded question. Will it impact them trying to sign guys like Devin Lloyd? If so, then I say no. He’s an absolute upgrade over Wonnum (most guys would be), but Chubb is gonna be 30 years old this season and already not that great. He’d mostly be a 1 maybe 2 year mid stop gap if he could be had cheaply. That being said this draft could have edge as BPA in both the 1st, 2nd and 3rd for Carolina. With how good this draft is at edge in the top 3 rounds, I’m less inclined to wanna spend money on an old declining vet. Take advantage of the drafts strengths. Bring in better and younger free agents at other positions of need.
Vashti2112: Nah. Just gives me George Seifert-era vibes – old ragged-around-the-edges big names. I’d be more interested in seeing what it would take to get Maxx Crosby – probably too much, but he’s been a lot more productive than Chubb. And a lot healthier.
@WTMealey: I’m not mad if the price is right. The goal is to give ourselves more options in the draft. This seems to be a situation where Name>talent at this point so as long as we’re not chasing something that isn’t there. I trust the brains to realize what is a reasonable offer and let it happen or not.
pcroadrage: Id be interested to see what the price for Chubb and Hendrickson end up being. If either can be had for a reasonable price, im all for it. As for the Crosby talk, id like to have him, but the price will be too high. We aren’t a edge rusher away from a SB and cant dump ALL of our resources into that. Id still like to see us sign a TE then hit the draft for BPAs (hopefully a LB somewhere in the first 3 rounds)
Chef: Not interested in Chubb. I’d much rather continue to add pieces through the draft and allow guys to develop. I know our pass-rush numbers were pathetic, but I don’t think it’s as dire a situation as most seem to believe. I feel good about Scourton, Jones, Umanmielen, ect moving forward.
Kinetikat: Should the Panthers sign Bradley Chubb? Depends on the price. I’d take a flier on him on a prove it 1 year contract but the likelihood he’d go for less than $5m on a one year is… super small. So I guess I am functionally a no
packpowerfan: He isn’t rookie, pre-injury Chubb anymore. But man he’d be juice to the lineup over Wonnum (bar so low it appeared in the Upside Down). Price is a major issue, but I trust this FO to manage the cap well enough to avoid stepping on the dreaded landmine contract. Whether that means signing Chubb or not.
CSR fans appear to be mixed but leaning against signing Bradley Chubb as a whole. While I’d be intrigued to add someone Ejiro Evero had familiarity with, they did trade him away in the final year Evero was in Denver as the defensive coordinator. Most fans do appear to be concerned with price, unfortunately as Bull123 pointed out, many free agent contracts would be considered overpaying for a player. That’s because they’ve hit the open market, and are no longer negotiating with the team that currently employs them. Time will tell what the Panthers do, but they need an edge rusher, on top of several other needs they should address in the Draft. I for one, am not against the signing, but it could be expensive.
Join us next week for another edition of the weekly mailbag!
Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...esponses-on-bradley-chubb-salary-cap-and-more