Panthers Field Trade Calls on Derrick Brown, Tell Teams He Is Not Available Before Tuesday Deadline

The Carolina Panthers are 3-5, riding a three-game losing streak, and sitting in first place in the NFC South. That odd position is shaping how they handle the NFL trade deadline, which arrives Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 4 p.m. ET.

At the center is defensive tackle Derrick Brown. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported Monday that teams have called Carolina about Brown and were told he is not going anywhere. Joe Person of The Athletic reported, citing a league source, that teams have inquired and the Panthers have shown no interest in moving him.

Why Brown's phone is ringing

The market for interior defenders changed fast. DeForest Buckner and Jeffery Simmons have both been traded, with Simmons going to the Chicago Bears. Schultz said contenders are now trying to land an elite interior defender of their own in response.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer wrote that teams in the market for a defensive tackle have shifted their attention to Brown. He named the Giants and Vikings as clubs interested in a defensive line move.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported earlier this week that Jacksonville general manager James Gladstone had spent several days working the phones for a top-tier defensive lineman. Jacksonville has since acquired safety Jessie Bates III, according to AtoZSports, which put the price at a second-round pick and a Day 3 pick.

The player

Brown is 28 and was the seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft. He has spent all seven of his NFL seasons in Carolina and is under contract through 2028.

He made his first Pro Bowl in 2023 and set a career high with five sacks across 17 games last season. This year the numbers are quieter: 25 total tackles, three quarterback hits, one tackle for loss and no sacks. He ranked No. 90 on this year's NFL Top 100 list.

What Carolina is saying, and not saying

Head coach Dave Canales said last Tuesday that the front office would decide how active to be. "This is a really good question for Brandt [Tilis] and for Dan [Morgan] to be able to kinda see—what can we do?" Canales said. "But we're certainly open to those options. And all those conversations, I don't field any of those until they became a little more substantial."

Carolina has close to no salary cap space, which limits what it can take on in any deal.

The public picture is not entirely uniform. Breer wrote that Carolina is not actively looking to move Brown, but that despite leading the division, the team is more likely to sell than buy and has looked at the idea of trading Brown or veteran guard Robert Hunt. Breer called a Brown deal the "pie-in-the-sky swing" for a buyer and said it would be "very expensive."

The price question

The Simmons deal sets a high bar. AtoZSports described that package as two first-round picks and a Day 3 pick. That outlet argues Carolina is unlikely to see anything comparable for Brown, since in its view Simmons is an every-down player who threatens both run and pass, while Brown is an elite run defender. Its own trade simulator valued Brown at roughly a third-round pick plus Day 3 selections, a return it called not worth it. It also pointed to the Giants as a possible late bidder.

Brown's reputation as a run stopper is not in dispute. He has 88 career starts and 13 career sacks.

The defense around him

Carolina has changed course on the other side of the ball. The Panthers fired defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, and Todd Wash is now the interim coordinator.

Team observers expect a simpler scheme with more one-gap, penetrating principles. Second-round rookie Lee Hunter, a nose tackle out of Texas Tech, and undrafted rookie Aaron Hall have both shown promising flashes. One analysis argues Hunter is not enough to make Brown expendable.

Carolina lost 26-21 to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The Panthers made the playoffs last season with a losing record, and the weak division keeps that possibility open again.

What happens Tuesday

The Panthers' message through Monday has been consistent: Brown is staying. Whether a team with the Giants' or Jaguars' appetite comes in with an offer closer to the Simmons package before 4 p.m. ET Tuesday is the open question. Carolina has not publicly named a price at which it would listen.