USAT: Panthers Wire audio clip

USAT: Panthers Wire

Jan 27, 2022
2021 Panthers·

It wasn’t supposed to be like this for the Carolina Panthers. Not now. - With longtime New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton announcing his hiatus on Tuesday, the landscape of the NFC South is likely to grow a bit on the barren side moving forward. And if Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and three-time Most Valuable Player Tom Brady decides to follow with a retirement of his own, the division will be all the more dry in 2022. - Although these two developments—with one not actually being a full-on development quite yet—won’t necessarily guarantee a clear path to first place, it’s a depiction of what could be for Matt Rhule’s Panthers. But after taking a damaging step back in 2021, it’s merely just a harsh and humbling reminder of how destructive this supposed rebuild has become. - New Orleans is currently swimming in a gumbo of problems. Not only is their mastermind and glue of 16 years now gone, but they might’ve run out of road to keep kicking their battered can down. - While they do have the maneuverability to free up some cash through contract restructuring, they’re currently in the red at $74.2 million of salary cap space. They, with no concrete answer under center, also face the potential losses of a handful of key players including All-Pro left tackle Terron Armstead, safety Marcus Williams and cornerback P.J. Williams. - Tampa Bay may be running out of time and space to keep around its band of mercenaries. If the Brady does indeed peace out before entering his age 45 season, who’s going to be willing to stick around at a reduced price? Maybe not wideout Chris Godwin, cornerback Carlton Davis, safety Jordan Whitehead, tight end Rob Gronkowski, defensive linemen Jason Pierre-Paul, Ndamukong Suh and William Gholston or almost the entire damn backfield. - On top of that, veteran leader and linebacker Lavonte David mysteriously referenced some turmoil within the organization—perhaps even some outside of the latest episode of as the “Antonio Brown Turns”—after the team’s Divisional Round loss to the Los Angeles Rams this past weekend. - Then, you have the Atlanta Falcons who are still, well, the Atlanta Falcons. Like their counterparts in the division, their quarterback situation isn’t exactly certain. Even though Matt Ryan will likely be kept around for a 15th season, how much more can the offense get out of the declining and soon-to-be 37-year-old? - And while they do have some blue-chip talents in the bag—with tight end Kyle Pitts and cornerback AJ Terrell particularly of note—their hardly mediocre 7-10 record may still be smoke and mirrors. Their abysmal point differential of -146 was quite alarming and bested just four other teams in the entire league—the New York Giants (-158), Houston Texans (-172), New York Jets (-194) and Jacksonville Jaguars (-204). - All of that—the Saints’ messiness, the Bucs’ cloudiness and the Falcons’ Falconiness—could’ve potentially formed a perfect storm for the Panthers to ride out confidently and triumphantly in. They’d be entering the third year of the Rhule regime, most definitely on an upward trajectory, sailing along on a pretty decent-sized yacht. - Instead, they might be aboard the flimsiest dinghy of them all. - Outside of an improbable trade for the legally troubled Deshaun Watson or somehow striking gold that may not even exist in the 2022 draft, Carolina could be heading into the new campaign with the worst quarterback situation in the south. Not only may Sam Darnold be the starter once again, but they’ve already invested second and fourth-round picks and almost $19 million into the debacle of an experiment. - Unfortunately, even if they did have a worthwhile passer, he may not survive the year anyway. Other than right tackle Taylor Moton and Brady Christensen, who Rhule can’t seem to decide on where to put, there aren’t any obvious long-term keepers on a unit that was extremely inefficient in every aspect of blocking in 2021. - Additionally, the resources may not even be there for the Panthers to fix either spot. The team will begin their offseason without any day two picks in the draft and a modest $18.9 million of space with the likes of outside linebacker Haason Reddick and cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Donte Jackson set to hit the open market. - Finally, as the cherry at the top, is the head coach himself. If the HBO Hark Knocks cameras do indeed follow the organization this summer, they might catch Rhule strolling through the locker room whistling “Stranger in Paradise.” - From his continuous botched evaluations at the quarterback position, to cooking up a reportedly volatile culture, to wiping out his staff and, oh, finishing his second season with seven straight losses and wins in just two of the final 14 games—Rhule would have no direction at the moment if it weren’t for the wrong one. - Owner David Tepper’s vision of Rhule successfully carrying over his program-building schtick from Temple and Baylor has yet to come to fruition. In fact, it may never happen considering the 46-year-old seems much better suited to be leading college kids than an entire professional franchise. - So rather than the Payton news or the possibility of a Brady retirement instilling some excitement for the future, it’s just kinda . . . meh for Carolina and their numerous in-house issues right now. Instead of being the young lion ready to pounce on the NFC South, the Panthers are still a lost cub trying to find their way in 2022. - - RelatedPanthers HC Matt Rhule reportedly eyeing Michigan if Jim Harbaugh goes to NFL - - RelatedPanthers promote key member of front office - - List - - What we learned from Panthers HC Matt Rhule and GM Scott Fitterer on Monday - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Email - - - - - Sign up - - - - - - - - Like this article? - Sign up for the Panthers Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning - - - - An error has occured - - - Please re-enter your email address. - - - - - - Thanks for signing up! - - - You'll now receive the top Panthers Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

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