The Carolina Panthers are a team that could get back on the quarterback carousel this offseason. They took a chance acquiring Sam Darnold from the New York Jets last offseason, but the move has not paid off as they had hoped. Heading into the offseason, many believe that the Panthers will trade Darnold and the New Orleans Saints are a team being talked about as a potential destination.

Darnold looked great the first few weeks of the season but eventually began regressing to the level of performance that he had with the Jets. An injury to Christian McCaffrey likely played a part in his lack of success, but he proved that he more than likely isn’t the long-term answer for Carolina.

In a piece for ESPN, Bill Barnwell predicts that the Panthers will fill their quarterback need by trading for Jimmy Garoppolo of the San Francisco 49ers. Garoppolo has some injury concerns, but Carolina can find a capable backup for less than the $18.9 million that Darnold will be making in 2022.

With Darnold no longer needed in Carolina, they will look to shop him. As mentioned earlier, he is owed a lot of money on his fifth-year option, so finding a team that would be willing to take him on is easier said than done.

One team that Barnwell thinks could take on Darnold is the New Orleans Saints. In his proposed trade, the Panthers eat $12 million of Darnold’s contract and send him to New Orleans in exchange for a seventh-round pick.

For Carolina, this is essentially a salary dump. They can use the nearly $7 million in cap space opened up to bring in an experienced backup behind Garoppolo, their presumed new starter.

For New Orleans, they can acquire Darnold and see what he looks like with a strong coaching staff and behind an excellent offensive line, something he has not consistently had throughout his NFL career. The Saints also have a pretty barren depth chart at quarterback with Jameis Winston a free agent. That leaves Swiss Army knife Taysom Hill as the only quarterback on the roster.

If the Saints want to use him in a hybrid role again, Darnold could take over the starting job in what would be the best situation for him in his career. Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas, if he isn’t traded, are excellent weapons for any quarterback to have at their disposal.

Getting a look at Sam Darnold for what it would normally cost for a high-end backup is a good deal for the Saints. If he excels, they could sign him to a new deal to keep him around. If not, all it ultimately costs them is a seventh-round pick and they can look for their long-term quarterback next offseason.