5 shock departures the Panthers could trade before 2022 deadline
By Dean Jones
Sam Darnold – Carolina Panthers QB
The Carolina Panthers’ trade for Sam Darnold was arguably the worst in a series of bad moves at football’s most important position under Matt Rhule. And according to a recent report from Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the former Baylor man was the only one convinced of the quarterback and did whatever it took to get his own way.
Darnold started well but tailed off substantially. This forced the Panthers into drafting Matt Corral and securing Baker Mayfield from the Cleveland Browns, which didn’t go according to plan either due to injury and poor play.
P.J. Walker is seemingly the man Steve Wilks trusts the most to lead Carolina moving forward. This means that Darnold could be the subject of a potential trade if another team comes in with an offer before the deadline.
The USC product is in the final year of his rookie deal and teams weren’t beating down the door for his services earlier this offseason. However, if someone feels like Darnold could improve their backup options for the remainder of 2022, the possibility becomes more realistic.
In truth, this is the best-case scenario for Darnold. Backing up someone will be almost guaranteed wherever he ends up in 2023, so this would be a solid chance to gain initial experience in this role before exploring his options next spring.