Should Giants be interested in Carolina Panthers’ WR D.J. Moore?

If the Carolina Panthers are in tear-down mode after firing head coach Matt Rhule this week, as some believe they are, should the wide-receiver needy New York Giants join the bidding for talented wide receiver D.J. Moore?

The vote here is an absolute yes. If I could press an ‘America’s Got Talent’ style Golden Buzzer on this one, I would be doing so.

CBS Sports agreed, naming the Giants as a logical suitor for Moore:

Brian Daboll is getting the most out of New York's mid-level talent, but imagine if Daniel Jones actually had a legitimate wideout at his disposal. With Kenny Golladay a sunk cost, Kadarius Toney and Sterling Shepard consistently banged up, and 5-foot-9 Richie James pacing the pass catchers, Moore would be an instant and major upgrade at the position. New GM Joe Schoen would be giving a surprise contender a big-time reinforcement at a premium position, but he could also rest assured that Moore would be a long-term building block, regardless of how things unfold at QB and elsewhere beyond 2022.

The Giants are a mess at wide receiver. Sterling Shepard and Collin Johnson are down for the year. Kenny Golladay is a shell of what he once was. Kadarius Toney can’t get on the field. For that matter, Wan’Dale Robinson hasn’t been able to play, either.

Richie James, David Sills, Darius Slayton and Marcus Johnson are doing the best they can. They are not, though, players you can build a big-time passing attack around.

Moore is.

Moore is a talented, 6-foot, 210-pound 25-year-old wide receiver who already has three 1,000-yard receiving seasons on his resume in four NFL seasons. To be kind, he has not exactly done that with the best quarterback play or offensive scheme supporting him.

Now, there is no guarantee that Moore could be for Daniel Jones what Stefon Diggs has been to Josh Allen with the Buffalo Bills or what A.J. Brown is for Jalen Hurts with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Moore would, though, be a massive upgrade to what the Giants have. At 25, he is also a player who should be at the top of his game for several years to come.

We know that the Giants are pressed up against the salary cap. At first blush, acquiring a player who just signed a three-year, $61.88 million contract extension might not seem like something the Giants could do.

Look closer, though. Moore’s base salary for 2022 is just $1.035 million, and the acquiring team would be responsible for only the pro-rated portion of that. The Giants could absolutely make that work. Yes, Moore’s cap number rises substantially the next three seasons, but the Giants should be in solid cap shape to absorb such a contract in 2023.

Of course, if the Panthers do make Moore available the Giants would not be the only suitor. The price would likely be steep. Here are some of the recent wide receiver trades:

• The Arizona Cardinals acquired Marquise Brown from the Baltimore Ravens for a first-round pick.
• The Eagles got Brown from the Tennessee Titans for 2022 first- and third-round picks.
• The New England Patriots got DeVante Parker from the Miami Dolphins for a third-round pick.
• Miami got Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs for 2022 first-, second- and fourth-round picks, and 2023 fourth- and sixth-round picks.

What the price would be for Moore I have no idea. I think, though, that GM Joe Schoen should pick up the phone and find out.