Has Sam Darnold played his last game for the Carolina Panthers?

Sam Darnold is set to miss multiple weeks with a shoulder fracture, which could be the last game he ever plays for the Carolina Panthers.

You’d imagine Sam Darnold has had better weeks.

On the back of being knocked out the week 8 win over the Atlanta Falcons, Darnold was then seemingly rushed back for the matchup against the New England Patriots as he struggled in another Carolina Panthers loss.

Reports then surfaced about Darnold aggravating the shoulder injury that had troubled him following the Falcons game as the signal-caller threw his third multi-interception game of the season.

This was later confirmed by NFL Network’s insider Ian Rapoport, who reported that Darnold had suffered an incomplete fracture of the scapula which will lead him to miss multiple weeks opening the door for P.J. Walker to start for the foreseeable future.

Has Sam Darnold played his last game for the Carolina Panthers?

Well, the signs don’t look good for Darnold.

Outside pressure is mounting from fans for Carolina to try and resolve this quarterback situation that has plagued the organization since the injury problems to former MVP Cam Newton. Team owner David Tepper has shown he’s not afraid to make changes – we saw that with the way Teddy Bridgewater was cast aside a year ago.

However, Darnold’s short career in Carolina seems to be over.

Despite the fact that bafflingly the Panthers picked up Darnold’s fifth-year option in 2022, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Darnold cut during the offseason. But a lot will hinge on what Carolina does in the NFL Draft and whether they’ll need a veteran signal-caller to mentor a rookie ready for 2023.

Whether or not you want Darnold mentoring anyone is another question.

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One has to feel for Darnold.

He seems like a stand-up guy and he’s obviously trying. But unfortunately, the former New York Jet is just not starting material in this league, and over the last two weeks, the coaching staff has shown the little confidence they have in the signal-caller.

It seems Darnold’s short career in Carolina has come to an end just nine weeks into the season. Despite flashes early he’s regressed at an alarming rate, and with the talent around him, it’s even possible that he’s playing at a lower level than he was in MetLife Stadium.

Without the Adam Gase excuse, even some of Darnold’s staunchest supporters in the likes of Dan Orlovsky have started to admit that he isn’t the guy they thought he was.

I’d certainly like a penny for Terry Bradshaw’s thoughts right now.

It seems for the next few weeks at least Panthers fans will get their first extended look at Walker. He has been extremely limited in his opportunities in Carolina and this is key for him moving forward.

With Carolina in quarterback turmoil this offseason, Walker now has an opportunity to put his name forward to be the Panthers starter. However, he couldn’t have asked for a much tougher start to his starting run with a trip to the high-flying Arizona Cardinals.

Carolina also worked to bring in a quarterback in the wake of Darnold’s injury, pending a physical they will sign former Tennessee Titan Matt Barkley.

I can’t explain that one either.

I’m telling myself that Tepper has picked up the phone to Cam Newton and the former Heisman Trophy winner wasn’t interested. But I doubt those within the organization would swallow their pride on that front.

Despite being clearly a good guy, that’s not enough in this league. It seems after just three-and-a-half seasons, Darnold might be done as a starter in the NFL.

But with all the outside noise and pressure on Darnold, it’s important the Panthers rally around him. Especially with mental health in the league being so prevalent.

At the end of the day, Sam Darnold is still a human being.