Should the Carolina Panthers trade Curtis Samuel?
By Dean Jones
Curtis Samuel’s contract situation
Curtis Samuel is heading into the final year of his rookie deal with the Carolina Panthers. The wide receiver penned a four-year, $6.45 million contract with the franchise that included a $2.83 million signing bonus and a little over $4 million guaranteed.
He is set to make $1.22 million in base salary in 2020 and count just over $2 million against the Panthers’ salary cap. Given the way Samuel has played over the last two seasons, it is cleatrthat he has outplayed this pay grade.
With money tight in Carolina thanks in no small part to their incredible $48.1 million in dead cap money, a new contract might not be on the immediate horizon. The organization has more pressing needs regarding extensions, which begin with their All-Pro Christian McCaffrey.
The running back is also on the final year of his deal and is looking for top dollar. Few people would argue McCaffrey is worth the investment and it might leave Samuel’s chances of signing a longer-term commitment from the team in doubt.
That’s not to say Samuel will not get an extension. The Panthers got a lot out of the player in 2019 and another elevation in his production would leave them with little option other than to give the player some more financial security or place him under the transition or franchise tag in 2021.
If Samuel does end up testing the market next spring, the demand for the wide receiver is going to be high. But the Panthers will not want to lose him for nothing and trading the player seems like a real possibility.