The official word is out on the Oakland Raiders trade today with the Carolina Panthers that sent wide receiver Louis Murphy to catch passes from Cam Newton instead of Carson Palmer. Apparently the price tag for Murphy's services was nothing more than a conditional late round draft choice, per Paul Gutierrez.
The Panthers were looking for another wideout for Newton's continued offensive development and Murphy has definitely shown himself to be a very capable pass catcher in the last three seasons for the Raiders. At only 25, Murphy caught 41 passes in 2010 and 34 receptions the year before despite a down year in 2011.
As for the Raiders, the team is absolutely stocked at receiver and Murphy was likely not going to add much more value. For a team in need of significant draft assets, general manager Reggie McKenzie took the chance to move Murphy now and gain another pick for next year's draft in the process.
It might not be a windfall or even an even return on the fourth round investment in Murphy, but McKenzie has to start somewhere and getting a pick for a player the team wasn't counting on is the best solution for all sides.