Miles Sanders' two-year stint with the Carolina Panthers was an unmitigated disaster. The veteran running back took a subtle swipe at the franchise rather than adopt accountability for his subpar efforts.
The Panthers and Sanders went their separate ways this offseason with one year remaining on his deal, saving Carolina around $5.22 million on the salary cap and confirming the former second-round pick as a free-agent bust. He came into the organization from the Philadelphia Eagles with lofty ambitions and couldn't get anywhere close to justifying the financial commitment.
Sanders' representatives were in discussions with the Panthers regarding a potential reprieve on a reduced salary. Once that didn't come to fruition, there was no way Carolina was going to keep him around.
Miles Sanders wasn't happy with Carolina Panthers before inevitable release
The Penn State product wasn't out of work for long, signing a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys. Sanders replaces Rico Dowdle, who joined the Panthers to form a potentially dynamic one-two punch with Chuba Hubbard in the backfield.
There's no doubt Sanders' was a complete flop after being hand-picked by those in power at the time to fill the gaping void left by Christian McCaffrey. He wasted no time in criticizing the Panthers, claiming things were going on behind the scenes that didn't please the Pro Bowler. Although he failed to disclose them specifically, it's glaringly obvious something was amiss between the involved parties.
"These last two years, I don't really have much to say. I guess I'd say I handled the situation as best I could, there was a lot of things out of my control that I would not like to speak on and just keep it in house, so I'll just keep it at that. Definitely a learning experience, you just have to control what you can control. I think I've made the best of this situation with the cards I've been dealt with, there's a lot of stuff out of my control, but I'm just blessed to still be in the situation I'm in and have another opportunity to ball out."Miles Sanders via DallasCowboys.com
Sanders didn't perform well enough. Regardless of whether there were mitigating circumstances attached, that's the bottom line.
His production was lackluster before going to injured reserve in 2023. Hubbard picked up the mantle and never gave it back. Sanders went to the fringes, which is probably why he's feeling aggrieved about how things turned out in Carolina.
One only has to look at the Panthers' trade-up in the 2024 NFL Draft for Jonathon Brooks to see how Sanders' talent was being perceived. He played well in Carolina's regular-season finale against the Atlanta Falcons, but it was too little, too late.
The Panthers won't care about Sanders' thoughts. They are moving forward with more professionalism and purpose. If certain high earners aren't pulling their weight, general manager Dan Morgan won't hesitate to remove them from the equation.
As for Sanders? He'll look to galvanize his career with the Cowboys and form a strong working relationship with fellow free-agent signing Javonte Williams. But any further failings could spell the end of his NFL career.