The Carolina Panthers had an extremely disappointing season in 2021 under quarterback Sam Darnold, finishing the year with a 5-12 record.
It is clear that the team needed to make a move at the quarterback position if they want to have some success next season, and they did just that by selecting Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
The team may not be done yet though, as reports have emerged on Sunday that they could still be interested in bringing in another veteran quarterback.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler discussed the Panthers’ quarterback situation on SportsCenter, where he said that the team is “keeping an eye” on both Jimmy Garoppolo and Baker Mayfield.
“They would like somebody else; that’s why the Baker Mayfield situation, Jimmy Garoppolo might not be completely dead at this point,” said Fowler. “And so it certainly seems like Sam Darnold is the favorite to start. They know Matt Corral is a bit of a project, a little like Malik Willis, because of the offense he came from in Ole Miss. He’s going to need some time to learn the nuances of the NFL game, but they love the talent. So, he could at least make this interesting for sure.”
Darnold can definitely be a competent player in the NFL, but it’s clear that Mayfield or Garoppolo would be an upgrade at this point. Whether or not they would be an upgrade that justifies taking on a big contract is what the Panthers will ultimately need to decide.
Mayfield is in the final year of his rookie contract and will be owed $18.8 million in 2022, while Garoppolo comes with an even bigger contract of $24.2 million next year. Both certainly have their flaws, but both have also led their teams to the playoffs in recent years which is something that the Panthers haven’t done since 2017.