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Panthers GM Dan Morgan explains blockbuster draft day trade Rams ultimately declined
Panthers GM Dan Morgan explains blockbuster draft day trade Rams ultimately declined
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The Carolina Panthers selected wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan with the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
However, as the team revealed in an episode of "Panthers Blueprint," they considered moving out of the selection and significantly down the board. Why? The Los Angeles Rams were interested in Carolina's selection at No. 8.
"There were some trade discussions going on at the time," Panthers general manager Dan Morgan explained. "I was kinda hoping that the trade would fall through because I really wanted to take T-Mac."
Despite Morgan's preference, the Panthers and Rams discussed the possibility of a trade before Thursday's draft started. Carolina had an idea of what it would take for them to move from the No. 8 pick to the No. 26 pick – as executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis detailed – and Morgan proposed that package to Los Angeles ahead of the event.
The price Carolina outlined was deliberately high.
"They would have had to give us the moon for us to trade out of that spot," Morgan said.
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Ultimately, the Rams declined the Panthers' offer. As such, Carolina kept the selection and chose McMillan to partner with Xavier Legette and give Bryce Young a pair of talented, young receivers.
That left Morgan – who was "convicted" about McMillan and didn't want to lose him – happy.
"I was kind of hoping that they would say no," Morgan told the team's official website. "So when they said no at the end, I was fine with it. I was actually like, 'Sweet.'"
Meanwhile, the Rams ended up trading down from the 26th pick and selected tight end Terrance Ferguson with their first pick in the second round, No. 46 overall.
It isn't clear who Los Angeles would have targeted had it moved up, but tight end Colston Loveland went off the board to the Chicago Bears 10th overall.
