Sources: Panthers acquire No. 1 pick from Bears
The Carolina Panthers are on the clock.
The Panthers have traded up to acquire the No. 1 overall pick in the draft from the Chicago Bears in exchange for Carolina's No. 9 and No. 61 overall picks in 2023, a first-round pick in 2024, a second-round pick in 2025 and star wide receiver D.J. Moore, two people familiar with the deal said Friday.
The move allows the Panthers to acquire a potential franchise quarterback — the sort of player the team has coveted for years — although it remains unclear which QB Carolina prefers. The Bears are committed to Justin Fields at quarterback and that gave them leverage to trade down.
Carolina has its choice of Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's CJ Stroud, Kentucky's Will Levis or Florida's Anthony Richardson.
VIKINGS CUT WR THIELEN >>
The Minnesota Vikings released wide receiver Adam Thielen for salary cap relief, ending a remarkable 10-year run with his homestate team as an undrafted underdog.
The move will stick the Vikings with more than $13.5 million in dead money for 2023, but they created $6.4 million in additional space.
The native of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, had his best season in 2018 with 113 receptions for 1,373 yards and nine touchdowns.
LONGTIME CHIEFS WIDE RECEIVER OTIS TAYLOR DIES >>
Otis Taylor, the longtime Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver who along with quarterback Len Dawson formed one of the NFL's dynamic duos, died Thursday after more than a decade of health problems. He was 80.
Taylor's family, who had been caring for him as he dealt with Parkinson's disease and dementia, confirmed that he had passed away a mere seven months after Dawson, his close friend and teammate.
Taylor spent all 10-plus years of his career in Kansas City, where he was a fourth-round pick out of Prairie View A&M in the 1965 AFL draft. He went on to have two 1,000-yard seasons during an era in which the passing game was still evolving, and he finished his career with 7,306 yards and 57 touchdown catches.