Saints, Panthers To Be Sanctioned for Tommy Stevens Pursuit?
Two division rivals were engaged in an interesting game of tug-of-war at the tail end of the 2020 draft, with the prize being Mississippi State quarterback Tommy Stevens. On Day 2 of the draft, New Orleans traded pick nos. 130, 169, 203, and 244 to the Vikings for the right to move up to no. 105 and select Dayton tight end Adam Trautman. That left the team with no Day 3 selections, so as Jeff Duncan of The Athletic writes, the Saints spent much of that day planning for the UDFA signing period.
One of New Orleans’ top UDFA targets was Stevens, who may ultimately fill the same QB2/gadget role that Taysom Hill presently occupies. But the Saints learned that the Panthers were interested in Stevens as well and were prepared to offer him a $15K signing bonus and guarantee $30K of his salary if he signed with Carolina as a UDFA. The Saints swooped in and offered a massive $144K in guaranteed salary if he would agree to sign with New Orleans, but then Stevens’ camp stopped answering the Saints’ calls.
Perhaps the Panthers topped the Saints’ offer, or perhaps Stevens viewed Carolina as a better long-term fit. But Saints head coach Sean Payton coveted the 6-5, 235-pound signal-caller, so he helped engineer a trade back into the seventh round of the draft to grab him, leaving the Panthers stunned.
This makes for an interesting story, one that may ultimately have no significance if Stevens, like most seventh-round picks, doesn’t pan out. The problem, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk observes, is that both the Saints and the Panthers flagrantly violated league rules. Once the draft begins, teams are at liberty to let prospects know that they are interested in them if they go undrafted, but they cannot discuss financial details. The NFL drove that point home in a league-wide memo this year, perhaps because the UDFA signing period was expected to be even more frenzied than usual.
As Florio notes in a separate piece, the league has yet to comment on the matter, though the Panthers have said that their actions were in compliance with league rules. And these particular rules are surely violated all the time, probably by every team in the league. The casualness with which the Saints brass discussed the situation suggests as much. Nonetheless, a league source expects both teams to be punished, though it remains to be seen what that punishment will entail.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/4/20
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: RB Marcus Murphy
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived: RB Jeremy McNichols
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: TE Alize Mack, RB Mike Weber
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: OT Josh Wells
Wells is returning to Tampa Bay on a one-year deal, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic (Twitter link). Wells spent the 2019 campaign with the Bucs, starting two of his 13 games. He previously spent five seasons with the Jaguars, appearing in 39 games (nine starts).
Murphy had a solid run with the Bills back in 2018, rushing for 250 yards on 52 carries. After getting cut by Buffalo prior to the 2019 regular season, Murphy didn’t find a deal until inking a futures contract with the Panthers in December.
McNichols, a 2017 fifth-round pick, has four career carries. He’s spent time with seven organizations during his career.
This Date In Transactions History: Panthers Sign Christian McCaffrey
Three years ago today, the Panthers signed their new franchise face. Christian McCaffrey, the No. 8 overall pick, inked his first deal and became the first player in the 2017 class to finalize his rookie deal. 
[RELATED: PFR’s 2021 Option Tracker For The 2017 NFL Draft Class]
McCaffrey, per one NFL GM who spoke with ESPN’s Adam Schefter, had “the best combine workout” he’s ever seen. “Ever.” The Panthers more or less agreed, selecting him to bolster an offense that badly needed his blend of running ability and pass-catching acumen. In 2016, the Panthers ranked just 25th in DVOA. With McCaffrey to take the torch from established veteran Jonathan Stewart, they were off and running.
Heading into the draft, McCaffrey was a wanted man. The Broncos tried to make a legacy pick for Ed McCaffrey’s son with an offer to move up from No. 20. The Eagles, at No. 14, also wanted him. Ditto for several other clubs. Too bad, GM Marty Hurney said.
McCaffrey made his mark as a receiver immediately. As a rookie, he hauled in 80 catches for 651 yards, including a ten-catch game against the Eagles, just to rub it in (though, the Eagles won 28-23 thanks to two Zach Ertz touchdowns). As an NFL sophomore, the Stanford product stepped up his game to a whole new level – nearly 1,110 yards rushing, 107 catches for 867 yards, and 13 total touchdowns. And, last year, he was just flat out ridiculous: 1,387 yards on the ground, 116 catches for 1,005 yards, and 19 TDs all together. Similar to Le’Veon Bell in his prime years, McCaffrey has solidified himself as an elite RB1 and a top-level WR2, all rolled into one.
McCaffrey’s first contract paid him roughly $17.2MM over four years with a signing bonus of ~$10.7MM. This year, the Panthers rewarded him by effectively bypassing the fifth-year option process. CMC is now the highest-paid running back in NFL history thanks to his four-year, $64MM deal. That’s good for an average annual value of $16MM and a commitment through the 2025 season. (And, to the Panthers credit, they’ll be reasonably well protected against any unforeseen snags. The deal has $30MM fully guaranteed with $38MM in practical guarantees.)
The Eagles (Derek Barnett) and Broncos (Garett Bolles) wish they could go back in time and make a Godfather offer for CMC, but hindsight is 20/20 and rocket ships don’t have rear views. Today, the Panthers’ new head coach is pretty happy with how it all turned out.
“To label him a running back, that’s not respectful to him,” Matt Rhule said earlier this year. “He’s a tailback/wideout. He can do it all. I’m anxious to get him out there and to continue to build this thing around him.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/30/20
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DE DaVonte Lambert, CB Derrek Thomas
Dallas Cowboys
- Waived: LB Chris Covington, DB D.J. White
Oakland Raiders
- Re-signed: WR De’Mornay Pierson-El
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DT Josiah Coatney, FB Spencer Nigh
Panthers To Sign Michael Schofield
The Panthers have reached agreement on a one-year deal with offensive lineman Michael Schofield, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
A third-round pick of the Broncos in 2014, Schofield spent three seasons in Denver before latching on with the division rival Chargers via a waiver claim. Schofield became a full-time starter for Los Angeles in 2018, and went on to start 32 consecutive games.
Although he was drafted as a tackle, Schofield now plays guard, and that’s an area of need in Carolina. The Panthers traded Trai Turner to the Chargers earlier this year in exchange for tackle Russell Okung, and while they’ve already added free agent John Miller to play on the right side, Carolina could use help on the left, where Dennis Daley is currently projected to start.
Schofield’s last deal with the Chargers paid him $2.5MM annually on a two-year term. After two seasons as a full-time starter, it shouldn’t be a surprise if he sees a pay bump as he moves to the Panthers.
Panthers Agree To Terms With 17 UDFAs
The Panthers have been busy adding undrafted free agents, as the organization announced that they’ve agreed to terms with 17 rookies:
- Myles Adams, DE (Rice)
- Omar Bayless, WR (Arkansas State)
- Branden Bowen, OT (Ohio State)
- Jason Ferris, LB (Montana Western)
- Sam Franklin, LB (Temple)
- Myles Hartsfield, DB (Mississippi)
- TreVontae Hights, WR (TCU)
- Mike Horton, G (Auburn)
- Jordan Mack, LB (Virginia)
- Frederick Mauigoa, C (Washington State)
- Chris Orr, LB (Wisconsin)
- David Reese, LB (Florida)
- Giovanni Ricci, TE (Western Michigan)
- Austrian Robinson, DT (Mississippi)
- Rodney Smith, RB (Minnesota)
- Cam Sutton, TE (Fresno State)
- Sam Tecklenburg, OL (Baylor)
As the press release notes, three of those free agents (Mack, Sutton, Thompson) officially signed with the Panthers on Monday.
The front office was clearly looking to plug a hole at linebacker, as the organization added five undrafted rookies at the position. While the front office used each of their seven draft picks on defensive players, all those rookies are either defensive backs or defensive linemen.
The Panthers are also making a relatively large investment in Bayless. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets that the wideout will earn $100K in guaranteed money. The Arkansas State product finished last season with 93 receptions for 1,653 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Panthers Draft Former XFL S Kenny Robinson
The XFL is on the board. With the sixth pick in Round 5, the Panthers selected safety Kenny Robinson, who last played for the St. Louis BattleHawks.
Before his half-season in Vince McMahon‘s rebooted league, Robinson starred at West Virginia. As a sophomore, he made first-team in the conference, notched 77 stops, and hauled in a team-leading four interceptions. Then, he was ejected from the Mountaineers’ bowl game and booted from the program for alleged academic fraud.
With wingspan to swat passes and aggressive tackling (albeit, sometimes too aggressive), Robinson will look to make the cut in Carolina.
Panthers Acquire No. 64 From Seahawks
Known to trade down from time to time, the Seahawks are at it again. They will send their No. 64 overall pick to the Panthers, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
In sliding down to No. 69, the Seahawks will pick up the Panthers’ No. 148 overall choice — at the top of Round 5. The Seahawks now have a seventh pick in this draft. Based on John Schneider‘s M.O., it should be expected they will attempt to pick up more.
After taking defensive linemen Derrick Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos with their first two picks, the Panthers traded up for safety Jeremy Chinn.
A 6-foot-3, 221-pound defender out of Southern Illinois, Chinn was one of Division I-FCS’ best players last season. Chinn intercepted 13 passes with the Salukis. He will join a Panthers team that moved on from Eric Reid this offseason and has an opening opposite the recently re-signed Tre Boston.
NFL Draft Rumors: Bengals, Colts, Bucs, Colts
The Bengals (No. 33) and Colts (No. 34) will kick off the second round and the belief is that they’re both targeting offensive help, Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com tweets. Beyond that, he gets the sense that defensive tackle Ross Blacklock could be the first defensive player selected in the second round. Earlier today, we heard Blacklock mentioned as a possibility for the Bengals, but they might be more focused on providing help for Joe Burrow instead. That could lead them to Baylor wide receiver Denzel Mims, one of the most intriguing talents left on the board.
Here’s the latest as we get set for the second night of the NFL Draft:
- More from Jones (on Twitter), who says “everyone” he’s talked to around the league believes that the Panthers will go after Mims. As previously reported, they’ve been getting calls on wide receiver Curtis Samuel, though they’re not shopping him. Mims, or another wide receiver, could wind up taking Samuel’s spot on the depth chart. The Panthers’ currently sit at No. 38 overall (the sixth pick in the second round), which might not be good enough to get Mims.
- Over the last two months, the Buccaneers and Colts have both been high on Washington quarterback Jacob Eason, Albert Breer of The MMQB hears. Eason remains available heading into Day 2 of the draft and both clubs profile as potential fits. Before the night is through, Eason could be tapped as the heir to Tom Brady or Philip Rivers, a perfect scenario for a QB easing into the pro game.
- There weren’t a ton of trades in the first round, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. The Falcons pushed hard to trade up for cornerback C.J. Henderson and the Raiders wanted to move back from No. 12 before taking Alabama wideout Henry Ruggs.
Panthers Open To Trading Curtis Samuel?
The Panthers have been “consistently” receiving calls from clubs interested in wide receiver Curtis Samuel, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. So far, they haven’t been keen on the idea of trading Samuel, but Rapoport says it’s worth monitoring in case they get an offer that’s too good to pass up. 
Right now, the Panthers seem intent on keeping Samuel and the rest of their primary weapons in place for new quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. At the same time, the former second-round pick is heading into his contract year, so the Panthers could be swayed if they’re skittish about the cost of his next deal.
Samuel is coming off of a career year with 54 catches for 627 yards and six touchdowns. He’s also an excellent bargain: This year, he’s slated to earn just $1.2MM in salary.
The Panthers want to hold on to Samuel, but they haven’t let sentimentality get in the way this offseason. They’ve also got other receivers behind D.J. Moore, thanks to the signings of Robby Anderson, Seth Roberts, and Pharoh Cooper.