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The Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers both overachieved for most of the 2025 NFL season.
In large part, that's because quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Bryce Young each took solid steps forward.
For that to continue in the season ahead, each team will want to make sure it maximizes the weapons around their QBs, especially at the wide receiver position.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell actually suggests in a new article on Monday that they should make a wideout swap to improve their rosters as a whole.
His proposal would send Michael Pittman Jr. and a seventh-round pick to the Panthers in exchange for Xavier Legette and a fifth-round pick.
"There's no comparing Pittman and Legette as players; Pittman has been far more productive and reliable during his career than Legette, who has struggled with drops and inconsistent play," Barnwell writes. "But Pittman is making $22 million in the final year of the three-year extension he signed with the Colts. After racking up 1,152 receiving yards in his final year before that contract extension, Pittman has managed 808 yards in 2024 and 784 in a full season this past year. He dropped from 24th in yards per route run among wide receivers in 2023 to 43rd in 2024 and 44th in 2025."
Trading away Pittman's contract would give the Colts a better chance at signing back Alec Pierce, who is a free agent.
"All of Pittman's 2026 salary is non-guaranteed, so Indy could cut him if needed," Barnwell writes. "He would have some modest trade value as a WR2 for teams that aren't spending a ton on their passing game, though. The Panthers fit the bill there, as Bryce Young, Jalen Coker and Tetairoa McMillan are all on their rookie contracts. The 6-foot-4 Pittman would be another big target in a Panthers wide receiver room full of them, and Pittman's work underneath would allow McMillan more freedom to work from the slot and at the intermediate and deep levels of the field."
Legette just turned 25, so the Colts could still try to develop him into a quality player.
Even if that part doesn't work out, the overall movement of money (if Pierce does indeed re-sign) could work out in the long run for Indy.
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