On Saturday, Carolina Panthers‘ receiver Robbie Anderson (who said earlier this offseason he’d prefer to be referred to that way rather than the “Robby Anderson” name previously used for him) tweeted “Ain’t gone lie Thinking bout Retiring.” That would certainly be a notable move, as the 29-year-old Anderson is under contract through 2023-24 (and making $13 million this year and $12 million more next year). But not long afterwards, Anderson deleted that tweet. Here’s more on that from Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk:
On Saturday, Panthers receiver Robbie (f/k/a Robby) Anderson tweeted that he’s considering retirement. That tweet was thereafter deleted.
It either means that Anderson changed his mind about possibly retiring, or that he changed his mind about letting the world know he was considering retiring.
The message landed as the team’s annual mandatory minicamp approaches. Presumably, he’ll be there. Undoubtedly, someone from the organization will ask him whether he’s truly thinking about calling it quits.
…Maybe the reaction subsided once it was explained to him that retirement would entail a potential obligation to pay back $7.6 million in unearned signing bonus money, possibly along with a significant chunk of a restructuring bonus paid earlier this year. That knowledge definitely would be, or at least should be, a factor in any final decisions made.
Anderson began his NFL career in 2016, signing with the New York Jets as an undrafted receiver out of Temple (where he posted 70 catches for 939 yards and seven touchdowns in his senior season in 2015). He recorded 207 catches for 3,059 yards across four seasons with the Jets, then joined the Panthers as a free agent in 2020. Through two seasons with Carolina, Anderson (seen above celebrating a touchdown in a 2021 game against the Jets) has 148 catches for 1,615 yards and eight touchdowns, including 519 yards and five touchdowns on 53 receptions last year. We’ll see if anything more comes of his retirement talk; that certainly could impact things for the Panthers, who have been linked to quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo.
[Pro Football Talk; image from Jim Dedmon-USA Today Sports]
