Has Sam Darnold played his last snaps with the Panthers? Or as an NFL starter?
The former Jets quarterback suffered a shoulder injury in Carolina’s 24-6 loss to the Patriots, in which he threw for three interceptions and completed less than 50 percent of his passes. After a series of tests, it was revealed that Darnold has a fractured shoulder blade and will miss several weeks.
The news came at a time when Darnold was struggling immensely with the Panthers. After starting the season hot, throwing for 279 or more yards in his first four games, he has averaged just under 160 yards per game in the next five, throwing eight interceptions to just two touchdowns in that span. One can argue his struggles have been as bad — if not worse — than during his days with Adam Gase’s Jets.
PJ Walker will take over as the starter for the Panthers, and while Darnold could theoretically return at some point during the season, Carolina may not be in a hurry to have him back. Struggles aside, the team is 4-5 and in last place in the NFC South, having lost five of six since starting the season 3-0.
“I’ll watch the tape before I make some big statement. To be quite honest, I want to make sure I see everything and consider all factors,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said after Sunday’s loss. “I know Sam prepared hard. I thought he went out there and I thought he showed toughness. He gritted to the end so I don’t want to lay anything at his feet.
“We can’t have a quarterback throwing the ball up in the air. He knows that. I know that. Whether we have to get with the coaches and figure out is it the coaching, is it him, what is it? We just can’t keep doing this. But I have to see everything before I can probably answer that better.”
The Panthers extended Darnold’s fifth-year option after acquiring him in a trade with the Jets, meaning he is under contract for one more season. He is making $18.8 million for that one year — all guaranteed — and the team would have to take a huge dead-cap hit to get rid of him. Long story short, he will most likely be around in 2022.
Whether he will be the starter is another question. The Panthers will have $35 million in cap space to spend in 2022, and could have a decently high first-round pick if the team continues to struggle. They did trade a second-round and fourth-round draft pick to the Jets for Darnold, however, and only got a sixth-rounder from the Broncos in return for Teddy Bridgewater (who, by the way, has been better than Darnold in 2021).
Carolina also passed on Justin Fields and Mac Jones in the 2021 NFL Draft to select Jaycee Horn, who was injured in the team’s third game of the season against the Texans. The 2022 quarterback class is projected to be weaker than in 2021.
Still, Darnold hasn’t shown anything to prove he ever deserves the starting role back. Robby Anderson screaming at Darnold after the quarterback’s third interception on Sunday may have sealed Darnold’s fate.