4 players the Carolina Panthers were smart to stay away from

Philip Rivers – QB

It now appears that the new regime with the Carolina Panthers was intent on moving on from Cam Newton no matter what. They were entitled to do this despite his incredible influence across the organization. But the situation should have been handled far differently.

They had the option of bringing in an established veteran to bridge the gap before taking their quarterback of the future in the 2021 NFL Draft. Philip Rivers was a name linked to the Panthers before they eventually went with Teddy Bridgewater. And this is someone they were right not to pursue.

Rivers enjoyed a fantastic career with the Los Angeles Chargers that saw him go down as one of the team’s all-time greats. He was unable to take them on a deep postseason run thanks in no small part to their inability to get the job done when it mattered most. And the gunslinger did appear to be heading on a downward curve in 2019 despite throwing for 4,615 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions.

This would have been a popular signing after Rivers spent his college career at North Carolina State. But betting $25 million for one year of production over a player that could become the team’s long-term starter would have sent out the wrong message.

Everything is in place for Bridgewater to succeed with the weapons at his disposal. He has made an impressive start to training camp and hopefully, this will make a notable transition to a professional environment.