Chad Johnson to Carolina?

Chad Johnson made a plea to Mr. (John) Fox to "come and get me" and that "85 plus 89 equals SuperBowl". Here's the link: http://www.wfnz.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=1381105. Now, this is pure fantasy on Carolina fan's part and probably on Chad Johnson's part as well. But, let's speculate about this for a moment. Having two of the top 5 wideouts in the NFL on the same team, how would NFC teams stop them? With the emerging DeAngelo Williams set to have a monster year when he takes over the reigns from Foster next year, Carolina would have one of the deadliest offenses in the NFC, if not the NFL.

Chad Johnson is obviously not happy anymore in Cincinnati, and the Bengals need to fix their inept defense. Throw the Bengals a couple of draft picks and maybe Chris Gamble or Ken Lucas in the deal (Richard Marshall outplayed both at the end of last year), and both teams benefit. I doubt that the Panthers could get a Superstar like Chad Johnson in this year's draft. In a make or break year for John Fox and Marty Hurney, this could be the type of blockbuster deal that they may need. Now, a lot would have to go Carolina's way if this deal were to happen. First, Johnson is under contract with the Bengals through 2011, so the Panthers would have to take that on their salary cap, which they are already hurting in that area. Granted, they will be able to make some cap room with restructuring contracts, cuts (*cough*David Carr*cough*), and Julius Peppers not meeting his contract incentives this year. Also, the Panthers already traded away their 5th round pick to Chicago in an absolute steal for stud SS Chris Harris. If the Panthers were to deal away 1 or 2 more draft picks, it would be a very quiet draft and other areas such as Defensive Line and Offensive Line, not to mention a power back that the Panthers desperately need, would not be addressed.

That being said, the Panthers would be foolish to pass up on this deal, if the Bengals were willing to listen. The Bengals have said that they will not trade Johnson, but if the right offer were made, I'm sure they would listen. It'd be risky, not only because you trade away draft picks, but also the distractions that a Chad Johnson would bring. But, having a Steve Smith/Chad Johnson tandem along with a healthy Jake Delhomme and an explosive DeAngelo Williams, and the Panthers would have a very talented offense and most surely make the playoffs if everyone remains healthy. Here's to dreaming...