5 high-risk free agents the Carolina Panthers should consider in 2022
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers could target Mitchell Trubisky
Sam Darnold’s trade from the New York Jets was an absolute disaster. The Carolina Panthers had supreme confidence in the quarterback before the season – triggering his fifth-year option with a guaranteed $18.85 million – but their optimism was misplaced and according to reports, the hunt is already on for a potential upgrade.
A lack of stability at the most important position on the field is haunting the Panthers. The sooner they find the right solution, the better their chances of real progression will be.
Gambling on a veteran free agent is a luxury the Panthers probably don’t have after striking out on Darnold and Teddy Bridgewater. But they might not be left with much choice, in all honesty.
Bringing Mitchell Trubisky back to an area where he starred in college at North Carolina is a potential option. Although the move would not be received well by a fanbase that is clearly growing in collective frustration about the team’s current direction.
Trubisky will always be remembered as the guy taken by the Chicago Bears when prospects such as Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were there for the taking. But perhaps a year sitting behind Josh Allen with the Buffalo Bills has given him a broader perspective about what it takes to truly succeed in the NFL.
Another reclamation project that goes wrong could cost Matt Rhule his job. So this would be the biggest risk imaginable despite Darnold’s failings under center.