Panthers insisted Sam Darnold was the answer, now they’re stuck with him

The Carolina Panthers convinced themselves that Sam Darnold was the guy. Now they’re stuck with him.

It’s been almost two years since the Carolina Panthers moved on from former MVP quarterback Cam Newton, and there’s been nothing done to inspire any confidence within the fanbase that his replacement will be found.

Instead, the Panthers brass has tried persuading themselves and fans twice that they’ve found the right guy to replace Newton.

They’ve now failed both times.

Carolina managed to get out of the first failed experiment of Teddy Bridgewater when new general manager Scott Fitterer was appointed this offseason. But instead of learning from that and starting fresh by drafting a signal-caller with the No. 8 overall selection, they opted to try and rejuvenate another career in Sam Darnold.

The thing is, Darnold has never been good and the Panthers did a helluva job of convincing us otherwise.

When the Panthers signed Bridgewater to a three-year, $63 million deal in the spring of 2020, it was a perplexing move but it was pretty obvious that the veteran was more of a bridge-type quarterback rather than a long-term answer.

However, Carolina didn’t draft a quarterback in 2020 or 2021, moved on from Bridgewater after an average season, and traded for Darnold, who was consistently one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL during his short tenure with the New York Jets.

They did all this while also failing to improve their offensive line for him.

Picking up Sam Darnold’s option makes the move that much worse

Darnold was drafted third overall just three years ago but despite the mess of a team that the Jets are, it was pretty clear that he didn’t have all the mechanics and decision-making skills to be a successful NFL signal-caller.

That didn’t stop Fitterer, Matt Rhule, and owner David Tepper from making the move, giving up three draft picks in the process.

But the draft picks aren’t even the worst part.

They also decided to pick up the final $18 million option of Darnold’s rookie contract. Making a big gamble that he would become that guy for at least two years.

Still just 24-years-old, the move to acquire Darnold looked genius to some. Why draft a quarterback with a high pick if you could just buy low for a recent top-five selection that needs a change of scenery?

Carolina Panthers had no backup option for Sam Darnold

It seemed like a win-win situation. If he plays well, you’ve got your franchise quarterback.

If he doesn’t, you move on with your backup option.

The problem is, the Panthers didn’t have a contingency plan.

They went all-in not only by picking up Darnold’s fifth-year option but also by not drafting a quarterback and sticking with P.J. Walker as their backup, who is nowhere near a starting-caliber player.

For a minute, it looked like it might work.

Darnold played solid and Carolina started the season 3-0.

But if you look at the numbers closely, despite throwing for more than 300 yards three times, a lot of those numbers came in garbage time and he rushed or more touchdowns than actually throwing them.

He wasn’t spectacular but the winning covered that up. Once Christian McCaffrey got injured, Darnold fell apart and has once again been ‘seeing ghosts.‘

The Panthers have continued to stick with him and after an atrocious performance against the New England Patriots in Week 9, they’re once again stuck in quarterback misery.

In the meantime, they’ve now lost multiple draft picks, will undoubtedly have no suitors for Darnold’s contract next year, and might be forced to use their first-round pick in 2022 on a signal-caller no matter who is available.

One mistake was acceptable with Bridgewater, and even he didn’t play as poorly as Darnold has.

Two mistakes with as much damage as acquiring Darnold has done isn’t. Now, the Panthers are stuck trying to figure out which road to go down next, and it could have been avoided.