TUESDAY, 5:19pm: The Panthers are sending the Seahawks a conditional 2017 seventh-round choice for Norwood, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
MONDAY, 3:32pm: The draft pick the Panthers are giving up for Norwood is a 2017 selection, per a team release.
2:50pm: After initially deciding to cut wide receiver Kevin Norwood, the Seahawks have found a trade partner, sending the former fourth-round pick to the Panthers, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The exact compensation for Seattle isn’t yet known, but Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports says (via Twitter) it’ll be a draft pick.
Norwood, who turns 26 next month, joined the Seahawks last season out of Alabama, but saw limited action. For the season, he caught nine balls for 102 yards, with no touchdowns. Norwood may have an easier path to playing time on offense in Carolina, where the Panthers will be without their No. 1 receiver, Kelvin Benjamin, who tore his ACL earlier this month.
Panthers coach Ron Rivera had said earlier today that there could be a veteran available after this week’s cuts that might fit in the team’s scheme, as Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes. Earlier in the offseason, Rivera seemed determine to roll with the receivers that Carolina already had on the roster. However, with Jerricho Cotchery and Devin Funchess sidelined, and other wide receivers underperforming this preseason, that stance may have changed.
I would expect the Panthers to still keep an eye on the waiver wire and the free agent market for potential upgrades, even after acquiring Norwood.