Robbie Anderson sits alone during an Oct. 16 game. (Photo via @highlghtheaven on Twitter.) Robbie Anderson sits alone during an Oct. 16 game. (Photo via @highlghtheaven on Twitter.)
NFLBy Andrew Bucholtz on

It looks like receiver Robbie Anderson may be on his way out from the Carolina Panthers. Anderson made a lot of headlines this offseason, from criticizing rumors that the team was interested in Baker Mayfield to tweeting (then deleting) that he was considering retirement ahead of the team’s mandatory minicamp. He then followed Carolina’s actual trade for Mayfield by backing off on those criticisms and then offering praise for Mayfield. But it hasn’t been smooth sailing from there.

Since that July 7 praise for Mayfield, Anderson has made headlines several more times. On July 8, he complained about how the team treated incumbent quarterback Sam Darnold. And the Panthers’ quarterback carousel (Darnold for much of the offseason, then Mayfield to start the season, then PJ Walker) hasn’t helped matters, and presumably neither has this week’s firing of head coach Matt Rhule (who coached Anderson in college at Temple). That’s led to Anderson (and many other Panthers’ players) being named in trade rumors, as Fox’s Jay Glazer discussed Sunday:

And during Sunday’s game, things went a little further with Anderson. First, he was seen loudly arguing with several members of the coaching staff on the sidelines, then walking off the field and taking off his helmet:

He then wound up sitting alone, as seen in the screencap above. Here’s video of that:

And interim head coach Steve Wilks eventually sent Anderson off the field entirely following a further argument with wide receivers coach Joe Dailey:

Meanwhile, things aren’t going great for the Panthers. With five minutes left in the fourth quarter, they trailed the Rams 24-10, and Walker was removed from the game following a hit (reportedly at the direction of a concussion spotter). That led to them going to yet another quarterback, Jacob Eason.

Interestingly enough, this wasn’t the only time Anderson has sat alone in the last couple of weeks. Here’s a photo of him doing something similar last week against the San Francisco 49ers, from Jim Dedmon of USA Today Sports:

Robbie Anderson sits alone in an Oct. 9 game.
Oct 9, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Robbie Anderson (3) awaits the final seconds against the San Francisco 49ers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

We’ll see where things go for Carolina and Anderson in the days ahead. But it’s looking more and more likely that the 29-year-old Anderson (who’s in his seventh NFL season, and had 13 catches for 207 yards and a touchdown in five games (four starts) heading into Sunday) won’t be part of the Panthers’ organization for long, whether that’s through a trade or through a cut.

[@HighligtHeaven on Twitter]

About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.

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