Could the Carolina Panthers already be done with their 2024 first-round pick?
ESPN senior NFL writer Bill Barnwell recently navigated through the landscape of the offseason’s receiver market. In his outlook, he names seven potential trade candidates—including Panthers second-year wideout Xavier Legette.
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Barnwell writes:
The Panthers still have a spot for Legette in the lineup when they play three-wide sets, but he has fallen behind Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker in terms of priorities and production for Carolina. And there’s no reason why GM Dan Morgan would keep that spot open if the Panthers can find an upgrade this offseason. Legette is owed $4.4 million over the next two years, all of which is guaranteed, and he has a potential fifth-year option in 2028 that would come up for a decision after the 2026 season.
Carolina was willing to give up on Mingo, a top-40 pick, after only 24 games when the right trade offer emerged. I suspect it would be similar for Legette this offseason.
Legette’s prospects of becoming the team’s No. 1 target dimmed last spring, when the Panthers selected McMillan with the eighth overall pick of the 2025 draft. McMillan, now the frontrunner for this season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award, snatched that role from the jump—finishing his first pro campaign with 70 catches for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns.
Coker, like McMillan, has also established himself in the pecking order. The former undrafted free agent broke out for 134 yards and a score in Carolina’s wild-card round loss to the Los Angeles Rams two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Legette has struggled to find a place.
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His production in 2025 dipped from his rookie year—as he went from 49 receptions, 497 yards and four touchdowns in 2024 to 35 receptions, 363 yards and three touchdowns. He also, in another key note, amassed a career-low snap share (31.4 percent) in the Panthers’ huge Week 18 finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Legette, to close out his disappointing sophomore season, registered one catch in four of his final six games.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers WR Xavier Legette named potential trade candidate