HEADLINES

Sam Darnold

Browns, Panthers Remain In Discussions On Baker Mayfield

June 14th, 2022 at 9:02am CST by Sam Robinson

As the Browns and Panthers’ salary viewpoints diverged considerably during the draft, the teams’ Baker Mayfield talks broke down. Carolina traded into the third round for Matt Corral. Matt Rhule is warming up to the idea a Corral-Sam Darnold competition will be enough for this year’s Panthers edition, Joe Person of The Athletic notes (subscription required).

But Mayfield is still generating support from some inside the NFC South squad’s building, Person adds. This has reached the point where the Panthers have resumed discussions with the Browns on a trade for the fifth-year quarterback, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports tweets.

Both teams begin minicamp Tuesday. Rhule said last week the Panthers would evaluate their quarterback position after minicamp but indicated a free agent at any position would not need to be acquired too long before training camp to pick up new OC Ben McAdoo‘s system. Days later, some semblance of urgency exists on the Panthers’ side on the Mayfield front, Jones adds (via Twitter). This stance would make sense, with Mayfield having a better chance to bounce back in Carolina with additional time to learn McAdoo’s offense ahead of training camp.

The Panthers having checked in on Russell Wilson and aggressively pursued Deshaun Watson — a year after making a strong offer for Matthew Stafford — makes the prospect of running it back with Darnold (31st in 2021 QBR) tough to buy. But Rhule has bolted on the team’s previous starter (Cam Newton, Teddy Bridgewater) in each of his first two offseasons. And the team did make upgrades along its offensive line, which would stand to aid Darnold in his second Panthers slate. But, through four seasons, Mayfield has been a far more viable starter than Darnold. For a coach on one of the NFL’s hottest seats, adding a quarterback at a much cheaper cost than it took to land Bridgewater or Darnold would seemingly check out.

The Browns have waited for the Panthers’ Darnold-Corral competition to induce them to return to the Mayfield table, but money still divides the teams sitting first and second in cap space. During the draft, the Browns were barely prepared to pay $3MM of Mayfield’s $18.9MM fully guaranteed salary. The Panthers wanted them to pick up at least $13MM. Cleveland appears to have moved closer to the latter figure, and the more the AFC North team pays, the better the draft compensation would be. Still, Carolina should not be expected to give up much for Mayfield.

The Browns would be stuck with nearly the full salary if they release Mayfield, which has long been a non-starter. The Seahawks have been monitoring this situation for months, but lately, the only Seattle-Mayfield connections pertain to a potential release. The latest reports of Panthers-Browns talks could motivate the Seahawks — amid a Geno Smith–Drew Lock QB competition — to reconsider their trade stance. For now, Carolina remains the frontrunner for Mayfield.

Latest On Sam Darnold

May 15th, 2022 at 3:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

With the Panthers waiting until the Day 2 of the draft to add a signal-caller, Sam Darnold remains at the top of the team’s quarterback depth chart. His status as the No. 1 at the position may be temporary, general manager Scott Fitterer detailed recently. 

“Sam is the number one guy right now” he said, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “He has every opportunity to take it and run with it. We hope he does well. We’ve seen improvement already under [offensive coordinator] Ben McAdoo.” 

McAdoo publicly anointed Darnold the starter in the build-up to the draft, though he was quick to walk back his remarks in light of the team’s probability of selecting from this year’s underwhelming QB class. At the time, the Panthers only had Darnold and P.J. Walker under contract; that, and the desire to find a long-term franchise pivot led Carolina to trade into the third round and select Ole Miss alum Matt Corral.

Corral was part of the QB group which – aside from Kenny Pickett – fell considerably in the draft. Concerns related to his ankle injury and interview process turned some teams away from the former Rebel, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Carolina thinks highly enough of him, however, that Fitterer left open the possibility of him playing at some point in 2022.

Another factor in this situation is, of course, the possibility of a reunion with Cam Newton. The former MVP would provide a much more experienced option compared to the rest of the depth chart, though his arrival midway through the 2021 campaign didn’t help ease the team’s struggles. Overall, Fitterer emphasized that the top spot is far from an assurance at this point.

“We’ll see how it goes. [Darnold is] in the lead right now, but until someone really owns that position… it will always be up for grabs.”

Latest On Panthers, Sam Darnold

April 20th, 2022 at 12:59pm CST by Adam La Rose

Just over one week from the start of the draft, the Panthers remain one of the teams most connected with selecting a quarterback. When speaking to the media yesterday, though, new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo stated (at least temporarily) that the team already has its No. 1 signal-caller. 

[RELATED: Latest On Panthers’ Draft Plans]

As noted by ESPN’s David Newton, McAdoo was quick to affirm Sam Darnold‘s status as the team’s starter, including his presence as a factor in taking his new role. Moments later, however, he clarified that “the way it is in the building right now, Sam is our starting quarterback”. The Panthers currently only have Darnold and P.J. Walker on the roster, but should have their pick of this year’s class with the sixth-overall selection.

Knowing that, McAdoo quickly added, “announcing the starting quarterback here I just put my foot in my mouth. That wasn’t something I should have said.” Carolina represents one of the most intriguing and important teams in next week’s draft, given their position on the board and dual need for an offensive tackle and (at least in the eyes of many) a quarterback with a higher ceiling than Darnold.

In his first season after being traded by the Jets, the 24-year-old completed less than 60% of his passes and threw more interceptions (13) than touchdowns (nine). Not surprisingly, then, the Panthers have done extensive work on the draft’s top QBs, leading many to expect them to select either Kenny Pickett or Malik Willis with their top pick. Failing that, they could be involved in the remaining trade market; they were recently reported to have the inside track to acquire Baker Mayfield, for instance.

This time of year, of course, is rife with public statements being overvalued or misinterpreted. Still, McAdoo’s remarks add even more intrigue to the team’s ultimate draft decision, which will have a sizeable domino effect on not only the Panthers but the rest of the QB board.

Latest On Panthers QB Plans

April 16th, 2022 at 9:38am CST by Ben Levine

While the NFL’s quarterback carousel is just about complete, we still don’t have clarity on the Panthers’ QB position. Heading into the offseason, GM Scott Fitterer admitted that the quarterback job was “open,” but after losing out in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes, Fitterer walked back his remarks and stated that incumbent Sam Darnold was in the lead for the starting nod. Now, with the NFL Draft coming up at the end of the month, the organization still isn’t ruling out selecting a QB with the No. 6 pick.

[RELATED: Panthers Considering Trades For No. 6 Pick]

According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, the “consensus of the people in this league” is that the Panthers will ultimately select a QB in the upcoming draft, with Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett considered the favorites. While Albert Breer of SI.com agrees with the QB sentiment, he hasn’t heard as much buzz about Pickett, and “with jobs on the line this year,” the organization may play it safe by taking the most NFL-ready option. Besides Willis, Breer also points to Matt Corral and Desmond Ridder as options. Sam Howell and Bailey Zappe were also included in the team’s 30 allotted prospect visits.

We learned recently that a trade down is a real possibility, and that could ultimately open the door to the Panthers selecting a quarterback with their first-round pick. The popular sentiment has been that No. 6 is too early to select from this year’s crop of quarterbacks. However, a trade for a mid-first would be “more palatable” for the front office.

While the Panthers could look to a first-round QB, Darnold still believes he’s ready to compete for the starting gig. Following an inconsistent start to his career with the Jets, Darnold underwhelmed during his first season with the Panthers, guiding the team to a 4-7 record while tossing nine touchdowns vs. 13 interceptions.

“It’s truly whatever happens happens, because at the end of the day it’s out of my control, and I know that,” Darnold,said during a recent podcast appearance (via ESPN’s David Newton). “I have enough security in myself where I can say, ‘I know I’m a good quarterback. I know I can be a good quarterback in this league. I’ve proved it.’

“And I know there’s a team, if something happens, that would want me.”

Meanwhile, following whispers that the Panthers could be the most likely landing spot for Browns QB Baker Mayfield, Panthers receiver Robby Anderson made it pretty clear what his feelings were on the rumors. On Instagram, Anderson commented “Nooooo” under a picture connecting Mayfield to Carolina (h/t Brad Stainbrook of CBS Sports on Twitter).

Panthers’ Plans At Quarterback

March 26th, 2022 at 9:52pm CST by Ely Allen

After losing out on the Deshaun Watson-sweepstakes, the Panthers have maintained that they still intend to add another quarterback to the roster, according to Nick Shook of NFL.com. In a press conference covered by Shook and Joseph Person of The Athletic, general manager Scott Fitterer laid out the team’s plans moving forward.

Answering the obvious question, quarterbacks Sam Darnold and P.J. Walker are still under contract and will be afforded every opportunity to earn the starting job moving forward. The issue there lies in the fact that they’ve already been given such an opportunity and the question of future quarterback is still being asked as a result. Fitterer did inform reporters that head coach Matt Rhule had talked with a free agent signing from last year, Cam Newton. On the matter, Fitterer said, “The thing with Cam, it’s gotta be a fit for us and it’s gotta be a fit for him, just as well. He’s looking for a certain opportunity. The door’s still open for us.”

The free agent quarterback market really cleared out after Watson’s trade to Cleveland. There are still some NFL-experienced options in the trade market, though. As of now, Fitterer asserts that they haven’t heard from San Francisco or Cleveland about Jimmy Garoppolo or Baker Mayfield. Since phones tend to have the ability to both send AND receive calls, it stands to reason that the Panthers not reaching out to initiate conversations over the available quarterbacks is a reflection of their level of interest. Still, Fitterer claims that they are open to receiving calls from the 49ers or Browns. They do have the luxury of waiting, possibly even until after the Draft, as there doesn’t seem to be any urgent interest in Garoppolo or Mayfield.

The most likely path, and the one most desired by Fitterer, is through the 2022 NFL Draft. Rhule and Fitterer were in attendance for Kenny Pickett’s pro day workout at Pitt and Malik Willis’ workout at Liberty. Rhule went to Mississippi’s pro day to watch Matt Corral. The only reason they didn’t go the Cincinnati to watch Desmond Ridder is because they already worked extensively with the Bearcat quarterback at the Senior Bowl and Combine. They still sent a scout and two personnel executives, though.

Suffice it to say that the Panthers have made it extremely clear that they are taking a good look at this year’s quarterback class. With the sixth pick in the first round of the Draft, Carolina could very likely take a quarterback and very well may the first team to do so, giving them their pick of the litter.

Fitterer preached a philosophy of building a team around a young quarterback on a reasonably low contract, like the Seahawks did with Russell Wilson during Fitterer’s tenure in Seattle. The only issue with this philosophy is that Rhule’s seat is getting hotter with each loss. He may not feel he has the leash to develop a young quarterback surrounded by veterans. If Rhule feels like he’s in a win-now scenario, he may push for the team to trade for one of the more proven assets like Garoppolo or Mayfield.

The route that ends up getting taken in Carolina will likely say a lot about the alignment of Rhule and Fitterer, who arrived one year after the head coach. If the team makes a move to trade for a league veteran, Fitterer likely wants to give Rhule the tools to keep his job. If the teams sits pat and waits until the Draft to address the position, it could be assumed that Fitterer is willing to let Rhule test his luck in order to build a team around his own philosophy.

Panthers Starting Darnold In Week 17

December 29th, 2021 at 11:09pm CST by Ely Allen

In one of the more intriguing depth chart decisions this late in the season, head coach of the Panthers Matt Rhule has announced that Sam Darnold will start under center for the team’s Week 17 matchup in New Orleans. The intrigue comes from a few places, namely a possible quarterback controversy and the handling of Darnold’s health.

It’s been hard to get a read on what Rhule’s thoughts are on their quarterback room. Longtime Panther Cam Newton was signed to help fill in when Darnold fractured his scapula in a loss to the Patriots and was placed on IR. Newton started 5 of the next 6 games, losing all of his starts and being benched twice for P.J. Walker. Before Newton’s most recent start, Darnold was activated off of IR. Despite Darnold’s activation, Rhule stuck with Newton to start against the Buccaneers. It didn’t take long for Newton to be benched a third time, this time for the newly healthy Darnold. Whether it was skill or health that had Darnold coming off the bench instead of starting is unclear, but 19 minutes into the game, Rhule clearly thought Darnold gave them the best chance at winning.

It certainly wouldn’t be unreasonable for Rhule to be cautious and let Darnold take the rest of the season to heal. After all, last week’s loss to Tampa Bay eliminated the Panthers from playoff contention. To take Darnold immediately from IR and throw him into the line of fire seems like a bit of an unnecessary risk.

Rhule was quoted saying, “Sam has been working hard to get back…We’re going to give him this opportunity to show what he can do.” The stance conveyed in this quote seems to show that Darnold’s grasp on the starting quarterback job in Carolina is tenuous at best. It sounds as if Rhule is giving the former first round pick one more chance over the next two games to convince him that quarterback shouldn’t be a priority for the Panthers this offseason. Road matchups against the Saints and Buccaneers won’t make this an easy task for Darnold.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/25-12/26/21

December 26th, 2021 at 11:02pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the NFL moves from Christmas and today:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team

NFC South Notes: Bucs, Rhule, Saints

December 24th, 2021 at 12:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Le’Veon Bell joined the Buccaneers earlier this week. They are his fifth team and fourth in the past 14 months. Following the Ravens’ decision to waive him earlier this season, the 29-year-old running back considered retirement, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com notes. While Bell has not been much of a factor since his final Steelers season, in 2017, he had not been an in-season free agent for a lengthy stretch until this year. The Ravens cut Bell on Nov. 16. The Bucs, who are in need at running back after Leonard Fournette‘s IR placement, may well give him an opportunity on third downs and as a change-of-pace option behind Ronald Jones. Bell also expressed regret for how public his Steelers franchise tag dispute became in 2018, though the former All-Pro said he does not regret skipping that season. While that move ended up benefiting Bell financially, via the lucrative guarantee he received from the Jets in 2019, his career has never recovered from that decision.

Here is the latest from the NFC South:

  • Although the Panthers have drifted out of contention and have gone 10-20 under Matt Rhule, the drumbeat of the ex-college HC staying on for a third season continues. Despite Carolina’s 4-10 record, Rhule is still expected to receive a third season, Joe Person of The Athletic notes (subscription required). David Tepper, naturally, is unhappy about being 0-for-4 in winning seasons as owner; this will put more heat on Rhule if/once he comes back in 2022. Rhule returning gibes with what we’ve heard out of Charlotte in recent weeks. Rhule received a monster contract in 2020 — seven years, $62MM — but has not delivered just yet, largely due to decisions at quarterback. The Panthers have bounced from Cam Newton to Teddy Bridgewater to Sam Darnold to P.J. Walker and back to Newton over the past year and change. Rhule said this week Darnold will return to action and play some against the Bucs.
  • Sean Payton returned to Saints headquarters Friday, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com tweets. Payton contracted the coronavirus for a second time and missed New Orleans’ shutout win in Tampa. He will be back for a coaching assignment that will involve game-planning for rookie Ian Book’s first regular-season snaps. Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian are on the Saints’ COVID-19 list.
  • Hill’s second Saints extension will pay between $40MM and $95MM, depending on his role. Hill’s 2022 salary ($10.1MM) is fully guaranteed, with his 2023 base ($9.9MM) becoming guaranteed in March 2022, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. However, the other components of this contract are more complex. Hill’s 2023-25 salaries can increase by $12MM per year if he throws at least 224 regular-season passes the previous year. That prospect will hinge on how the Saints proceed at quarterback in 2022, when Jameis Winston is a free agent. There are also $18MM in incentives included, Florio adds, with many of those escalators tied to passing statistics. Essentially, this is a two-year, $20MM deal with significant upside for Hill, who will be 32 by Week 1 of next season.
  • The Bucs‘ Week 15 injury avalanche will indeed cost them Mike Evans for at least one game. The Pro Bowl wideout did not practice this week and will miss the Bucs-Panthers matchup Sunday. Evans suffered a hamstring injury against the Saints. The Bucs will also be without Fournette and Lavonte David, whom they placed on IR Thursday, due to injuries suffered last week. Chris Godwin is out for the season with a torn ACL.

Panthers Designate Sam Darnold For Return

December 15th, 2021 at 10:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have designated quarterback Sam Darnold and cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver III for return from the injured reserve list, per a club announcement. Both players will be allowed to practice starting today, enabling them to return at any point within the next 21 days. 

Darnold has been out with a shoulder injury since Week 10. Specifically, a partially fractured right scapula. While this was a new injury, Darnold is no stranger to the trainer’s table. The 2018 first-rounder has now missed at least three games in each of his first four seasons.

The ex-Jet was soaring early on this year, but that didn’t last long. Darnold was leading the league in interceptions before his injury. Now, thanks to missed time, his INT tally (11) has been leapfrogged by several QBs with No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence leading the way (14 INTs).

So far, Darnold has a 4-5 record across nine starts. Since then, they’ve used P.J. Walker and old pal Cam Newton under center. That worked out nicely in Week 10 as they upset the Cardinals, but they’ve dropped three straight ever since.

The Panthers traded second-, fourth- and sixth-round picks for Darnold and picked up his fully guaranteed 2022 option, which is worth upwards than $18MM. Still, they’re expected to go QB shopping in the offseason.

Per league rules, Darnold and Oliver will be eligible to play this Sunday against the Bills.

NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Darnold, Cowboys

December 7th, 2021 at 10:39pm CST by Ben Levine

Imagine a loaded Buccaneers offense with…Jonathan Taylor at running back. It could have been a possibility, as the Buccaneers had their eye on the Wisconsin product during the 2020 draft, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Bucs were armed with the No. 14 heading into that draft, and Taylor was on the “short list” of players the organization was considering with that selection. The team ended up with their preferred prospect, offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, and they traded up to No. 13 to make sure they got the lineman. However, if Wirfs was off the board at that point in the draft, then Tampa Bay likely would have pivoted to Taylor, who didn’t hear his name come off the board until midway through the second round.

“I loved him,” Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said recently (via Schefter). “He could do it all, and it was just a matter of time — playing behind that offensive line — that he was going to be the force that he is.”

Taylor has obviously had a standout season with the Colts, leading the league with 1,348 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns (naturally, he’s also leading the NFL with 1,684 yards from scrimmage and 18 total scores). Of course, things have worked out fine for the Buccaneers. Wirfs has started all 28 of his career games, while the duo of Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones were more than capable during Tampa Bay’s 2020 Super Bowl run.

Some more notes out of the NFC…

  • Sam Darnold seems to be out of the picture in Carolina, but the Panthers still owe the quarterback $18.8MM in guaranteed money in 2022. The team already paid Denver $7MM to inherit Teddy Bridgewater, leaving the organization with $17MM in dead cap. As a result, Joseph Person of The Athletic believes Darnold will stick around as a high-priced backup vs. being involved in a salary dump. Person specifically cites a 2017 trade where the Texans attached a second-round pick to Brock Osweiler to dump his salary on Cleveland; league sources tell the reporter that “an Osweiler-type trade involving Darnold is unlikely.”
  • Cowboys senior defensive assistant George Edwards is a candidate for the head coaching job at his alma mater, Duke University, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). Edwards was a four-year player for Duke, and he served as an assistant on the Duke staff way back in 1996. He’s had a long coaching career since that time, including a recent six-year stint as the Vikings defensive coordinator. Edwards has been a senior defensive assistant with the Cowboys since 2020. Duke parted ways with David Cutcliffe last month.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com recently tweeted the 10 highest salary cap hits for 2022, and the top three spots all belong to the NFC. Falcons QB Matt Ryan and his $48.7MM cap hit leads the way, following by Packers QB Aaron Rodgers at $46.1MM and Vikings QB Kirk Cousins at $45MM. Other NFC players on the list include Seahawks QB Russell Wilson (sixth, $37MM), Cowboys QB Dak Prescott (ninth, $34.5MM), and Lions QB Jared Goff (10th, $31.2MM).
Load More Posts