5 most overhyped Carolina Panthers from the 2021 season
By Dean Jones
Sam Darnold – Carolina Panthers QB
The Carolina Panthers took a significant gamble on securing Sam Darnold in a bombshell trade from the New York Jets. They gave up three draft picks to secure his services and also triggered his fifth-year option without getting the chance to see what he could do with his new teammates.
Darnold was seen as a talented individual that could have been a product of his environment at MetLife Stadium. Working with someone like Adam Gase wasn’t exactly the greatest start to the USC product’s career and the Panthers felt their system would be ideally suited to the signal-caller in pursuit of turning his career around.
After a strong training camp and a 3-0 start to the season, expectations and hype went through the roof where Darnold was concerned.
However, it didn’t take long for everything to fall apart.
Darnold regressed into the mistake-prone player we saw on the Jets. His confidence just wasn’t there and his processing hasn’t improved any despite the change in coaching methods.
Matt Rhule threw Darnold back into the mix at the expense of Cam Newton down the stretch. But nothing really altered in terms of production and this trade has the potential to set the organization back considerably unless some major strides are made this offseason.
No respectable team is going to take on Darnold’s $18.85 million cap number in 2022. Carolina is stuck with him it seems, so they’ll have to make the best out of a bad situation.