Yet another key player in the NFL is advancing on free agency, and this time is Russell Okung. The veteran tackle was to enter the final year of his contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, but was instead traded to the Carolina Panthers for CBS Sports NFL insider Trai Turner Jason La Canfora confirms. The transaction cannot be final until the start of the new championship year on March 18, but all parties have been informed of the teams’ intention to swap.
Okung, 31, is a former first round pick for the Seattle Seahawks who had two nods to the Pro Bowl after joining the Denver Broncos with a Super Bowl victory. The Chargers ship it to Charlotte in exchange for a younger Turner – who turns 27 in June – who already has five Pro Bowl nods after being selected in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft Panthers.
According to Jonathan Jones, a CBS Sports NFL insider, there are no choice involved in trading.
In the deal, the Panthers absorb $ 13 million in base salary for Okung and $ 9.6 million in dead money, through Over The Cap, while the Chargers assume the remaining two years of Turner’s contract – with $ 8.5 million and $ 11 million base salary, respectively. Considering the financial ramifications of the deal, it’s unclear if the Panthers plan to keep Okung for the future. They could try to restructure his agreement to reduce its meteoric impact on their salary ceiling – a likely decision.
Plus, it has a base in place for it to stay in 2020.
In 2020, the Panthers wooed Pat Meyer, former Okung coach with the Chargers, to take on the role of offensive line coach in Carolina. He could also help former second-round coach Greg Little become an NFL-level impact starter, but the decision to send Turner out of town in exchange for an expensive mentor will cause some to question moving.