What options do the Carolina Panthers have with Sam Darnold moving forward following the sensational return of Cam Newton?
What a wild season for Sam Darnold. There was much hype surrounding his arrival in Charlotte back in the spring, even if his production on the New York Jets meant this was a considerable game by those within the Carolina Panthers.
His first three games both through the air and on the ground were highly encouraging. Then, the slump hit as the team moved from an optimistic 3-0 to a disheartening 4-5 through the first half of the season.
Darnold has taken much heat for poor decision-making – something that has plagued him back to his days at USC. Even though it’s not an excuse for his disappointing production on the gridiron, it was an injury to his shoulder that forced his move to the reserve/injured list to invite further speculation on his future.
For a fleeting moment, Panthers fans were left with P.J. Walker leading the charge during the next 4-6 weeks with a pending returning of Darnold to finish out the season.
However, the Panthers and Cam Newton had other ideas.
In a rather quick and surprising move, the Panthers brought back former No. 1 overall selection and 2015 NFL MVP to reignite everyone associated with the organization.
While this is transaction is partly nostalgic, great for fan engagement, and certainly an upgrade over any quarterback on the roster, Newton could also play himself into a multi-year contract post-2021 if things go well.
With arguably the franchise’s most beloved athlete back wearing the black and blue, Scott Fritterer is left figuring out what to do with Darnold. Here are three potential options Carolina could go with.