Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers will start Cam Newton for Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but his grip on the starting job is not tight.

Panthers coach Matt Rhule said Sam Darnold would play this week, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Darnold's amount of playing time will be determined by his performance. Darnold could wind up taking a majority of the snaps with hopes he will take over as the starter for the final two weeks of the season. 

Newton has started the Panthers' last four games, all losses, and has looked like a shell of his former MVP self—particularly as a passer. He's thrown for 623 yards and four touchdowns against four interceptions, completing just 54.9 percent of his passes and averaging a career-low 5.5 yards per attempt.

While Newton clearly is no longer an NFL starting quarterback, there's no evidence to suggest Darnold is any better. He got the Panthers off to a 3-0 start with surprisingly solid play but completely fell apart over his next six starts before suffering a scapula fracture on his throwing shoulder. He's totaled 1,986 yards and seven touchdowns against 11 interceptions, putting up a higher interception rate than Newton with a far lower touchdown rate.

The Panthers traded a 2021 sixth-round pick and 2022 second- and fourth-round picks for Darnold and then shockingly guaranteed his $18.9 million fifth-year option for next season, so they're stuck with him on their roster. Giving him a chance over these final three games may be the team simply seeing whether it can salvage something out of a bad decision.

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey surprised dozens of military families by paying off their layaway balances, per CNN.

McCaffrey announced through his foundation that he'd worked with multiple organizations to pay off the layaway accounts for 363 families. 

The press release stated that McCaffrey worked with the nonprofit Pay Away the Layaway to pay off the balances at all Army & Air Force Exchange and the Navy Exchange Service Command locations in the Carolinas.

"We owe our service men and women and their families a debt of gratitude for all that they do to serve our country," McCaffrey said. "The Christian McCaffrey Foundation is contributing to Pay Away the Layaway this holiday season to say thank you to military families throughout the Carolinas, for your service and your sacrifice."

He shared the news of the gift with 22 members of the military during a video call earlier this week. 

"We are beyond grateful for Christian’s commitment, both personally and through CMF, to supporting military families,” Pay Away the Layaway founder Lee Karchawer said. “This is our way of saying ‘thank you for your service’ in a way that leaves a lasting impact. We couldn’t do it without partners and advocates like Christian and his Foundation."

In November, McCaffrey became the Panthers' nominee for the 2021 NFL Salute to Service Award because of his support for the military community. 

McCaffrey is out for the season after suffering an ankle injury in Carolina's Week 12 loss to the Miami Dolphins. He finished the year with 785 yards from scrimmage and two total touchdowns in seven games.

The Carolina Panthers' revolving quarterback rotation will include Sam Darnold on Sunday. 

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule told reporters Wednesday that Cam Newton will be the team's starting quarterback against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but that Darnold will feature at some point during the game.

Earlier Wednesday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Darnold "could have a role" in the NFC South matchup.

The Panthers placed Darnold on injured reserve Nov. 12 with a shoulder injury he suffered in a Week 9 loss to the New England Patriots. 

There was an expectation at the time that Darnold would return within four to six weeks. He was designated to return last week, with Fowler noting the 24-year-old could be cleared for contact "soon." 

As for Newton, Carolina signed him to a one-year deal on Nov. 11. The three-time Pro Bowler has started each of the past four games, but he's only completing 54.9 percent of his attempts and has four touchdowns and four interceptions. 

The Panthers have gone 0-4 in Newton's four starts. Rhule has also given extended playing time to P.J. Walker in a two-quarterback system with Newton. 

Walker started the first game after Darnold's injury. He completed 22 of 29 attempts for 167 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in a 34-10 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Nov. 14. 

Darnold was the Panthers starting quarterback for the first nine games of the season. The USC alum has thrown for 1,986 yards with seven touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 59.5 completion percentage in 2021.    

The Carolina Panthers have placed running back Christian McCaffrey on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced Tuesday.

McCaffrey had already been on injured reserve for the second time this season and ruled out for the rest of the year because of an ankle injury.

The Panthers also activated offensive lineman Trent Scott off the reserve/COVID-19 list. He started four games at guard this year but missed last Sunday's matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

McCaffrey suffered his season-ending injury in Carolina's Week 12 loss to the Miami Dolphins, forcing him to miss the team's final five games. He already had a five-game absence earlier this year caused by a hamstring injury.

In the four weeks since returning from his hamstring injury, McCaffrey had 421 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 68 touches. He finished the season with 99 carries for 442 yards and a touchdown and 37 receptions for 343 yards and a score in seven games.

After not missing a game in his first three seasons in the NFL, McCaffrey has had trouble staying on the field in the past two years. He was limited to three games last season because of ankle and shoulder injuries. When this season ends, McCaffrey will have missed 23 out of 33 possible games since the start of the 2020 campaign.

The Panthers have a record of 5-8 and are on a three-game losing streak. Carolina will look to end its skid in a Week 15 road game against the 7-6 Buffalo Bills, who are also desperate for a win after back-to-back losses.

The honeymoon period appears to be well and truly over for Carolina Panthers star Cam Newton.

With his team trailing 17-7, P.J. Walker replaced Newton in the second quarter of Sunday's 29-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The three-time Pro Bowler opened 6-of-11 for 88 yards and one interception.

Newton returned to the game to open the second half and finished 15-of-23 for 178 yards and the one interception. He also ran for 47 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries and fumbled the ball twice.

Head coach Matt Rhule reaffirmed his status as the starting quarterback but added an important condition:

Newton got Carolina on the board in the first quarter with a 12-yard touchdown run but gave the score right back in the second quarter after throwing a pick-six to Falcons linebacker Mykal Walker.

The quick hook may have partially been a result of Newton's disastrous showing in Week 12, too. He went 5-of-21 for 92 yards and two interceptions in a 33-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The Charlotte Observer's Jonathan M. Alexander also explained how Rhule laid out a plan to rotate between quarterbacks:

Walker demonstrated the folly of that strategy by throwing an interception on his third play after replacing Newton. Cycling through two struggling passers isn't much of a solution.

Newton's return to the Panthers couldn't have gone much better as he scored touchdowns on each of his first two touches in his first game back with the team. He followed that with a strong showing (189 passing yards, 46 rushing yards, three total touchdowns) in a Week 11 loss to the Washington Football Team.

But opponents seem to have recalibrated their schemes to account for Newton's presence in Carolina's offense.

Once Sam Darnold went down with a shoulder injury, signing Newton made sense. He was the most decorated QB in free agency, and his arrival excited the fanbase. The more he plays, however, the less it looks like he'll be able to recapture the form that led him to win an MVP in 2015.

Former Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady has been contacted by "multiple NFL teams" following his firing by Carolina, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Schefter reported Brady would rather continue coaching at the professional level rather than moving back down to the college ranks.

Brady's desire—or lack thereof—to coach in college seems evident by how quickly he moved on from LSU. The 32-year-old spent one season as the Tigers' passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach before jumping at the Panthers' offer.

His abrupt departure from Carolina, however, raised questions over whether other NFL teams would jump at the chance to hire him straight away in another meaningful role.

Just about any offensive coach can look good when he has Joe Burrow, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase at his disposal. Perhaps Brady's star rose too quickly.

To be sure, though, the fact the Panthers are averaging the fourth-fewest yards per game (308.7) isn't solely down to Brady.

After appearing in just three games in 2020, Christian McCaffrey wasn't the same running back in 2021 before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. That compounded the team's general inconsistency at quarterback.

The Athletic's Joseph Person posited how firing Brady might have been Matt Rhule's last card to play before the Carolina Panthers head coach is ultimately held accountable for the team's performance.

It's unclear whether the NFL interest in Brady is centered around potential coordinator roles or if he'd work a little lower down the ladder. Given his age, he has plenty of time to rebound from his firing and rebuild his coaching stock.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Gardner Minshew is expected to be a commodity on the trade market this offseason.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Minshew's impressive Week 13 performance opened eyes around the league, and the Eagles will likely field several calls from quarterback-needy teams. Minshew completed 20 of his 25 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns without an interception in last Sunday's win over the New York Jets.

The Carolina Panthers are expected to be among the teams to express interest, having already contacted the Eagles ahead of the 2021 trade deadline.

The Eagles added Minshew for the bargain-basement price of a conditional 2022 sixth-round pick ahead of the regular season to serve as a backup behind Jalen Hurts. Minshew's performance last week was more than enough by itself to justify the opportunity cost, which was a shocking sell-low on the part of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"It felt so good, man. It's the best time I've had since Week 1 of last year. There's nothing like that feeling," Minshew told reporters after last week's 33-18 win over the Jets. "Glad to do it with this group of guys. They made it easy for me."

Rapoport's report said teams around the NFL view Minshew as a potential bridge starter or, at the very least, a high-quality backup. The Washington State product emerged as a surprisingly solid option for the Jaguars in 2019 and 2020 after being a sixth-round pick in 2019. His career quarterback rating of 94.4 would rank among the best in NFL history if he had enough attempts to qualify.

While no one would rank Minshew among the NFL's best quarterbacks, he's certainly a better option than some of the players taking snaps every Sunday.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton believes he's at least partially to blame for the firing of offensive coordinator Joe Brady earlier this week.

"Do I think I had something to do with it?" Newton said Thursday, per ESPN's David Newton. "The competitor in me, absolutely, yes. Because the truth of the matter is you don't lose your job because of success.

"Where I'm at now is doing what I can control to make sure that I have a job, too. Let's just be honest."

Brady was fired following Carolina's 33-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Nov. 28. Newton had a career-worst 5.8 passer rating in that game, having completed 5-of-21 passes for 92 yards and two interceptions. 

In Newton's first start since re-joining the Panthers on Nov. 21, he looked much better, completing 21-of-27 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-21 loss to the Washington Football Team. 

Regardless of how Newton feels, the Carolina offense was falling apart even with Sam Darnold under center. Before suffering a shoulder injury and being placed on injured reserve on Nov. 12, Darnold failed to throw a touchdown in three straight games. 

In those three games, the former New York Jet completed just 54.9 percent of his passes for 413 yards and four interceptions. His quarterback rating was 48.5 through Weeks 7-9, per Pro Football Reference. 

The Panthers are also ranked 29th in the NFL in passing yards per game (197.4) and 16th in rushing yards per game (111.3). 

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule explained his decision to part ways with Brady earlier this week while speaking with reporters. 

"[Brady has] done a lot to get us moving in the right direction, but this was something that I felt like, from a football perspective, we needed to do now," Rhule said.

The Panthers enter Sunday's game with a 5-7 record. Despite the losing record, though, Carolina is still in the playoff race. Senior offensive assistant Jeff Nixon has since taken over offensive coordinator duties. 

The Carolina Panthers announced Sunday that offensive coordinator Joe Brady has been fired in just his second season with the team.

"I met with Joe this morning and informed him that I have decided to make a change," head coach Matt Rhule said. "I'm very grateful to him for his time and effort in helping us get established over this past year-and-a-half."

According to Joe Person of The Athletic, senior offensive assistant Jeff Nixon—who was the play-caller at Baylor when Rhule was the head coach of the Bears—will take over as offensive coordinator.

Under Brady, the Panthers finished 21st in yards and 24th in points per game last season, and they came into Sunday ranked just 28th in yards and 23rd in points per contest this year. 

Granted, those struggles can't be put entirely at Brady's feet.

Superstar running back Christian McCaffrey has played in just 10 of a possible 28 games over the past two seasons due to injuries, taking away the team's best offensive weapon. Carolina went from Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback last year to Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker and Cam Newton this season. 

But Brady reportedly never achieved the run-pass balance that Rhule was looking for in his offense:

Regardless, the Panthers have some fundamental issues on offense, namely the future of the quarterback position. That's for general manager Scott Fitterer and Rhule to solve. 

For now, the 5-7 Panthers, currently 11th in the NFC, will try to play their way back into a playoff berth with five games remaining after their Week 13 bye and Nixon running the offense.

And Brady—the former LSU passing-game coordinator who helped the Tigers claim a national championship in the 2019 season and Joe Burrow win a Heisman Trophy with his scheme—will likely receive no shortage of interest in the college game as an offensive coordinator. 

Matt Rhule is in just his second season as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, but there is reportedly plenty of interest from schools looking to bring him back to the collegiate level.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported Sunday that Rhule, who impressed as the head coach of Temple and Baylor before going to the NFL, is "held in highest regard by many premier programs."

La Canfora noted LSU, USC and Oklahoma were all interested in Rhule, although only the Sooners still have an opening at head coach with Brian Kelly joining the Tigers and Lincoln Riley going to the Trojans.

Perhaps one program missed an opportunity to hire Rhule, as La Canfora also noted that the Panthers coach reportedly would have had the most difficulty turning down an offer from Penn State. However, the Nittany Lions agreed to a 10-year extension with current coach James Franklin.

Rhule first turned heads nationally at Temple, where he coached from 2013 through 2016.

The Owls are the furthest thing from a national powerhouse, but he took them from 2-10 in his first season to 6-6 in his second, 10-4 in his third and 10-3 in his fourth. That type of drastic improvement and double-digit wins in back-to-back seasons caught the attention of Baylor, which hired him prior to the 2017 campaign.

Immediate improvement was again the theme of his tenure with the Bears.

They were just 1-11 in his first season but went 7-6 in his second and 11-3 in his third with a Sugar Bowl appearance. While Baylor is more of a national factor than Temple, it is still often overlooked in a Big 12 conference that includes Oklahoma, Texas and Oklahoma State.

The Panthers are surely hoping Rhule can continue the patterns of improvement at the NFL level after they were just 5-11 in his first season in 2020. They are 5-7 this year and still in the NFC playoff picture, so that could be the situation if they play well down the stretch.

Figuring out the quarterback position, which has seen Sam Darnold, Cam Newton and P.J. Walker under center this year, will be the quickest path to long-term success if Rhule remains with the Panthers, but his track record in college has not been forgotten as teams look to fill vacancies prior to the 2022 campaign.