Carolina Panthers: Assessing the Curtis Samuel situation

Wide receiver Curtis Samuel is still on the Carolina Panthers’ roster despite fierce trade speculation, but where do both sides go from here?

The Carolina Panthers decided not to trade wide receiver Curtis Samuel during the 2020 NFL Draft. There was a strong interest in the player for a possible day two pick. But the organization avoided the temptation and keep the player around.

Samuel is coming off the best season of his career after a frustrating time with injury. He showed flashes of brilliance in 2019 on his way to 54 receptions, 627 yards, and six touchdowns.

This was a timely reminder of the ability Samuel possesses heading into the final year of his rookie deal. The is little chance of the Panthers offering him an extension given their current financial constraints, so there is a real possibility they lose the player for nothing in 2021 free agency.

There is no doubt the Panthers carefully considered any offers that were forthcoming regarding Samuel. But having him on the roster in 2020 is going to benefit the offense considerably following the acquisitions of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and wide receiver Robby Anderson.

The latter’s arrival in Carolina has the potential to decrease Samuel’s involvement in the offense. This will not sit well with him, especially after the encouraging signs he displayed in 2019.

While the Panthers now have three receivers who can be counted on to make plays consistently. Keeping Samuel on the roster has the potential to cause a serious predicament down the line and it will be interesting to see what happens next.