4 Carolina Panthers players guaranteed to leave the team in 2023
By Dean Jones
Rashard Higgins – Carolina Panthers WR
It’s been three weeks since the Carolina Panthers concluded their regular season engagements. And nobody is any closer to solving the conundrum of Rashard Higgins‘ disappearance in 2022.
Higgins was seen as a sneaky good acquisition on the cheap in free agency. Some splash plays in training camp left further reasons for encouragement, but the wide receiver generated more healthy scratches than reps on offense throughout the campaign.
Considering the presence of former Cleveland Browns teammate Baker Mayfield on the roster and almost no pass-catching consistency outside of D.J. Moore over the first half of 2022, this was bizarre. Higgins must have rubbed someone up the wrong way, and not just with flamboyant touchdown celebrations that put him in Matt Rhule’s doghouse.
Even when Steve Wilks took charge, Higgins was an afterthought. And with the Colorado State product’s contract expiring before free agency, we might never get a comprehensive answer to this riddle.
When the time comes, Higgins will be one of Carolina’s easiest decisions when it comes to being moved on. Whether the receiver – who has flashed promise previously – gets another opportunity to make a team elsewhere should be his biggest concern right now.