5 major observations from Day 1 of Panthers 2022 mandatory minicamp

Robbie Anderson returned to the Carolina Panthers without a hitch

After tweeting that he was contemplating retirement shortly before mandatory minicamp was set to get underway, Robbie Anderson returned to the Carolina Panthers and little had changed regarding his personality or approach to workouts.

Anderson is probably relieved to get back down to football activities after an eventful offseason. His name came up in potential trade discussions with the New England Patriots after a poor campaign in 2021 and it’s clear the wide receiver has been mulling everything over from the comfort of his Florida home after skipping OTAs for the second-straight year.

Just what we can make of Anderson’s retirement threat is unclear. The wideout claimed he wasn’t going to quit in a subsequent tweet, but it’s not exactly the biggest indicator that everything is as it should be from a mindset standpoint.

Make no mistake, the Panthers will be counting on Anderson heavily next season. There is also a lot at stake for the player with a salary-cap hit of more than $21 million coming his way in 2023.

Anderson is a respected member of the locker room who always has his emotions right at the surface. Carolina’s coaching staff knows what makes him tick having previously worked with him in college and the pros, so they will be hoping there is no more off-the-field drama and the Temple product can start putting the pieces in place for a bounce-back campaign next time around.