Carolina Panthers: Assessing the Curtis Samuel situation

What next for Samuel and the Carolina Panthers?

There are a number of different ways the Carolina Panthers could go regarding Curtis Samuel. The ball is in their court for now. But that might not be the case following the 2020 campaign.

They have the option of giving the player a long-term commitment if he continues on an upward curve. If the organization decides to go down this particular route, they are going to need to make sacrifices elsewhere which could have a detrimental impact on the team.

If Samuel performs as he is capable of next season, he is going to be a hot commodity on the free-agent market. Agreeing terms with him might end up saving them money as teams do tend to overpay players rather than lose them for nothing when their contract expires.

The Panthers are due to have $56.91 million in cap space in 2021.  This leaves the ‘wait and see’ approach to Samuel a realistic one. If he produces good numbers in the presence of Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore, then he is worthy of the investment. If he shows a regression in any way, it might be best for both parties if they moved on.

Samuel performing well above expectations in 2020 is not without possibility. This would leave a free-agent scramble for his services that could bring in the franchise tag.

This would cost the Panthers more than the $17.865 million wide receiver tag in 2020. That might be more than Carolina’s decision-makers are willing to pay.

They could still trade Samuel during the season. But any leverage they had going into the draft is now gone. Teams will be all-too-aware of the player’s contract situation and will be aiming to get a steal from them in exchange for a very talented wideout.

Samuel’s predicament with the Panthers is another fascinating element to what is going to be a very intriguing campaign for the franchise.