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.
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.