3 reasons the Panthers could not wait for Deshaun Watson

Carolina Panthers were getting left behind

Everybody was fully aware of the Carolina Panthers’ aggressive pursuit of a quarterback this offseason. But considering recent events, they were in real danger of missing out entirely.

Matthew Stafford was almost secured before the Los Angeles Rams came in with a better offer, the Deshaun Watson situation eventually saw the team go a different route, and the San Francisco 49ers moving up to No. 3 in the 2021 NFL Draft left almost no chance of getting one of the main college prospects they were high on.

As stated previously, going into camp with Teddy Bridgewater as the starter just wasn’t going to happen. Too much has transpired since the 2020 campaign came to a conclusion for the coaching staff or players to have any sort of confidence in his ability to lead them moving forward, meaning they couldn’t wait for Watson and had to go with a young quarterback at less expense who could finally start realizing his potential in Sam Darnold.

That won’t be determined until we see Darnold under center, which should be right away as the Panthers have allowed Bridgewater to seek a trade. This might be difficult with the money owed on his deal, so restructure of some kind could facilitate this if a willing partner is found.

As for Watson, he has far more complex things to worry about than looking for a trade at the moment. And this is further reflected by his ever-shrinking market.