The Carolina Panthers and general manager Scott Fitterer undoubtedly took a swing with the Sam Darnold trade. The Panthers traded a 2021 sixth round pick, a 2022 second round pick, and a 2022 fourth round pick for the embattled former Jets quarterback. That’s three draft picks for a player that the Jets were more than happy to move on from. The gamble looked like a smart play after the first four games of the 2021 season. Carolina was 3-1 and Darnold had 1,189 passing yards over that span with 10 total touchdowns and just four turnovers. But then the wheels came off the bus. Sam Darnold tallied nine turnovers in his next five games and threw only two touchdown passes. It got worse for Darnold as he fractured his scapula against New England in week nine and missed the next five games. He came back for Carolina’s final three games and was unimpressive, leaving the Panthers in a tough spot. They just traded multiple picks for Darnold, but anyone who watched him last year knows that he’s not the long-term answer at quarterback for the Panthers or anyone else. Some people thought Darnold might have needed a change of scenery, but it’s looking ever more likely that his problems run deeper than that. Frankly, he might not be cut out to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.
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