Good, bad and ugly from Scott Fitterer’s first season as Panthers GM
By Brian Emory
Carolina Panthers trading for Sam Darnold was a disaster
The most significant blemish on Scott Fitterer’s short resume as Carolina Panthers general manager so far is undoubtedly the trade for Sam Darnold.
In early April, the organization traded three future draft choices to the New York Jets for Darnold. They subsequently used the acquisition as justification for passing on Justin Fields and Mac Jones in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Hindsight is 20/20, but the trade for Darnold reeks of arrogance in retrospect. The signal-caller had three years of atrocious tape in New York. While the Jets certainly weren’t placing him in a fair position to succeed, it always seemed like a long shot that he could be developed into a franchise quarterback.
Darnold had been turnover-prone ever since he was in college at USC. Those issues followed him again to Carolina.
This was a reclamation project never worth inheriting, especially considering the cost.
It’s difficult to say if Matt Rhule or Fitterer had more to do with the trade for Darnold. Regardless of who was pushing harder, it is fair to assume that both signed off to some degree.
Make no mistake about it, this was a brutal way of mismanaging the most important position in the sport. It stings even worse watching Jones and Fields show legitimate franchise quarterback promise down the stretch.