The Washington Commanders made some important changes throughout Adam Peters' first offseason as general manager. Luring linebacker Frankie Luvu from the Carolina Panthers was one of them.
Luvu's propelled himself to superstardom under head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.'s guidance. He's an inspirational figure at the second level who makes everyone around him better. His partnership with Bobby Wagner became the backbone of Washington's defense quickly. He was a revelation and deservedly earned second-team All-Pro honors as a result of his exceptional efforts.
This is exactly what the Commanders had in mind when they targeted Luvu. And a recent report suggests the Panthers' incompetence handed the former undrafted free agent out of Washington State over on a silver platter.
Commanders capitalized on Panthers' complacency to lure Frankie Luvu
The consensus suggested that Luvu turned down more money from the Panthers to join the Commanders. However, Joe Person of The Athletic revealed that complacency from Carolina's standpoint allowed Washington to swoop.
And once Luvu got the chance to speak with Quinn, there was no going back.
"The [Frankie] Luvu thing… The narrative, the easy narrative that kinda got out there of 'well the Panthers offered him more money, he didn't wanna be here anymore', I don't think that's accurate. I think the Panthers got in late, with a late offer. And at that point, there was too much momentum going up the road to Washington. I think they thought they could get Luvu and keep him just because he liked being here. And again, they eventually got to the number where Washington was, and maybe a little more, but it was late in the day and that ship had sailed."Joe Person
Frankie Luvu not resigning with the Panthers 🧐 @josephperson: “The narrative that the Panthers offered him more money and he didn’t want to be here no more, I don’t think that’s accurate. The Panthers got in late.”
— Panthers On Tap (@PanthersOnTap) January 21, 2025
No wonder why Dan Morgan fell on the sword. pic.twitter.com/4q7ASwDsws
The Panthers only have themselves to blame. Previous general manager Scott Fitterer — who ironically is now working in Washington's front office — should have got a deal done with Luvu during the campaign. His replacement Dan Morgan didn't treat the matter with the correct urgency and paid a heavy price.
Make no mistake, Carolina's loss was the Commanders' gain. And things worked out pretty well for Luvu as well.
He's gone from an underrated player to among the NFL's most ferocious linebackers. Luvu is a superstar. He's riding on the crest of a wave and played an influential role in Washington's phenomenal campaign that is now within one win of the Super Bowl.
The Panthers also showed signs of life over the second half of 2024. However, their historically terrible defense missed Luvu enormously.
Bad teams stay bad because they don't make smart decisions. The Commanders know all about that from previous regimes. Thankfully, those days are a thing of the past.
There is more purpose, professionalism, and stability than ever before. Everything is new. Everything is different. And this is just the start of what will hopefully become a prosperous era for this waking giant.
Luvu will be at the forefront for the next two years and potentially beyond. He's a firecracker on and off the field. Someone others look to for motivation and leadership. That's the sort of franchise cornerstone the new regime wants to build around long term.
And all the Panthers can do is look on with envious glances.