David Tepper's Real Estate Company Offers $82M Payment over Failed Practice Facility
Aug 11, 2022
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 12: Carolina Panthers team owner David Tepper looks on looks on during warm ups prior to the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium on December 12, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
GT Real Estate Holdings LLC, a company
led by Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper, has proposed a settlement of just over $100 million to contractors, creditors and local governments
related to failed plans to build a practice facility in Rock Hill,
South Carolina.
Erik Spanberg of the Charlotte Business
Journal reported Thursday the offer includes an initial $81.7 million
payment and $20 million from the future sale of the proposed site.
The plan will require approval from courts
and creditors, per Steve Reed of the Associated Press.
In June, GT Real Estate filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after the $800 million plan to create
a new Panthers practice facility along with retail shops, restaurants
and a hotel fell through, according to Joseph Person and Daniel
Kaplan of The Athletic.
The company has continued to work
toward a settlement arrangement while bankruptcy hearings have been
delayed until at least September.
GT Real Estate released a statement as
part of Thursday's offer, saying the money for the initial payment
was made available from DT Sports Holding, another company owned by
Tepper, per Spanberg:
This plan reflects GTRE's promise to
expeditiously resolve all claims and make payments to its creditors,
including to York County and the city of Rock Hill. GTRE now has a
clear path to emerge from bankruptcy made possible by substantial
commitments from DT Sports Holding, which has made available to GTRE
more than $82 million in cash in an effort to bring this process to
an orderly and equitable conclusion. GTRE believes that the plan is
in the best interests of its creditors and anticipates that a hearing
to consider approval of the plan will occur in October of this year.
The site had already undergone 20
months of construction before plans were halted.
Tepper purchased the Panthers in May
2018 for just under $2.3 billion, which at the time was the highest
price paid for an NFL franchise. He was previously a stakeholder in
the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Forbes estimates the 64-year-old
Pittsburgh native has a net worth of $16.7 billion, which makes him
the 105th-richest person in the world, after founding the Appaloosa
Management hedge fund.
Tepper has refused to discuss the
failed project, saying in April he'd "respect the city's request
not to have a back-and-forth in public about it."
Baker Mayfield: QB Battle Isn't 'About Trying to Stab One Another in the Back'
Aug 9, 2022
SPARTANBURG, SC - AUGUST 05: Carolina Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) during the Carolina Panthers training camp on August 05, 2022, at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold realize they're battling for a starting position, but they're not about to allow their competition to become contentious.
“It’s not about trying to stab one another in the back,” Mayfield said Monday, per Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer. “It’s about elevating, because the franchise and the team go as the QB room goes.”
The Panthers traded for Mayfield on July 6, which put him behind Darnold in terms of understanding the offensive terminology. Mayfield spent his offseason in a state of limbo while seeking a trade from the Cleveland Browns, meaning he had not been part of any offseason team work until the start of training camp.
Panthers coach Matt Rhule, who said he plans a patient approach in determining the starter, has been impressed with Mayfield's quick uptake in practice.
“He’s definitely improving, as he gets more and more of a feel for what he can do at the line of scrimmage. … What he’s done in 10 days (of training camp practice) is pretty impressive. He’s making really good jumps," Rhule said.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Monday that Mayfield is the favorite to win the starting job, which should come as no surprise.
Darnold is 17-32 as a starter over his four-year NFL career and showed no signs of improvement last season with a change of scenery in Carolina. He threw for 2,527 yards and nine touchdowns against 13 interceptions in 12 games for his second straight season with more picks than touchdowns.
Mayfield, who was widely reviled in Cleveland for his 2021 performance, still outperformed Darnold by every possible metric. The top pick of the 2018 NFL draft has also never thrown more interceptions than touchdowns in a season and is just two years removed from a stellar 2020 campaign.
While Mayfield has clearly established himself as a below-average NFL starter, he is likely one of the 32 best quarterbacks in football. The same cannot be said for Darnold, who has seen his interception rate stick between 2.9 and 3.6 percent his entire career while his touchdown percentage plummeted from 4.1 as a rookie to 2.2 last season.
With Rhule entering the 2022 campaign firmly on the hot seat, it would be shocking if Mayfield wasn't under center in Week 1.
NFL Rumors: Panthers QB Is Job Baker Mayfield's 'to Lose' amid Sam Darnold Trade Buzz
Aug 8, 2022
SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA - AUGUST 02: Quarterback Sam Darnold #14 of the Carolina Panthers attends training camp at Wofford College on August 02, 2022 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
The Carolina Panthers' starting quarterback position is reportedly Baker Mayfield's "to lose."
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the state of the quarterback battle on Monday after Benjamin Allbright of KOA Colorado reported Carolina was "shopping" Sam Darnold but "can't get takers" because of his salary.
Darnold is scheduled to make $18.9 million in 2022 after the Panthers picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract.
Though Darnold started 11 games for Carolina last season, the team used a third-round pick to draft Matt Corral this offseason before acquiring Baker Mayfield in a trade with the Cleveland Browns.
Mayfield and Darnold have split first-team reps through training camp, while head coach Matt Rhule said he won't make a decision until at least after his Week 2 preseason game against the New England Patriots.
"I'm not putting a timetable on the quarterback position until after we get back from the Patriots week," Rhule told reporters on Saturday. "The Patriots week is a true litmus test for us. That will really show us where guys are."
It now seems despite the ongoing quarterback competition, the Panthers would be willing to part with Darnold for the right price.
The 2018 No. 3 overall pick is coming off a disappointing year with Carolina, totaling nine passing touchdowns with 13 interceptions and a 71.9 passer rating that ranked 29th out of 31 qualified players.
These struggles came after totaling a 78.6 rating across three seasons with the New York Jets.
Darnold has shown some bright spots in his career, including the start of 2021 when he had five passing and five rushing touchdowns over his first four games. The Panthers began the year with a 3-1 record before eventually falling to 5-12.
The team now appears to want a fresh start at the position, with Mayfield getting his opportunity to prove himself.
Though Mayfield also had an up-and-down 2021 season, the 2018 No. 1 overall pick has an 87.8 career passer rating with 97 touchdowns (five rushing) and 56 interceptions. His 235.4 career yards per game are more than any single season of Darnold's career.
It could be enough to help the Panthers improve offensively after finishing 29th in points scored last year.
Panthers HC Won't Decide Between Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold Before Preseason Game 2
Aug 6, 2022
SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA - AUGUST 02: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Carolina Panthers attempts a pass during training camp at Wofford College on August 02, 2022 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule insisted Saturday that he doesn't plan on naming a starting quarterback any earlier than after the Aug. 19 preseason game against the New England Patriots.
According to ESPN's David Newton, Rhule said: "I'm not putting a timetable on the quarterback position until after we get back from the Patriots week. The Patriots week is a true litmus test for us. That will really show us where guys are."
Veterans Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold are in the midst of a battle for the starting quarterback job, plus rookie third-round pick Matt Corral may also be in the mix.
Although Rhule left the door open for naming a starter after the Panthers' second preseason game, he also made it clear that he won't force a decision if nobody has separated by that point.
Mayfield has to be considered the favorite to win the job since Carolina acquired him from the Cleveland Browns for a conditional 2024 fifth-round draft pick last month.
The 27-year-old Mayfield was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, and he has had an up-and-down career thus far.
His high point occurred in 2020, when he completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns and a career-low eight interceptions. Mayfield also went 11-5 as a starter and led the Browns to their first playoff berth since 2002.
With Mayfield at the helm, the Browns even defeated the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
Expectations were high entering 2021, but Mayfield and the Browns disappointed. He went just 6-8 for a team that finished 8-9 overall, completing 60.5 percent of his passing attempts for 3,010 yards, 17 touchdowns and 13 picks.
Mayfield suffered an injury to his non-throwing shoulder early in the season, however, which may have adversely impacted his play. He underwent offseason surgery and looks to be fully healthy entering 2022.
The Browns parted ways with Mayfield after acquiring Deshaun Watson in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans.
Darnold was the third overall pick in the same draft that saw Mayfield go No. 1, and he has enjoyed far less success than Mayfield.
After three subpar seasons with the New York Jets, Darnold was traded to Carolina last offseason for second-, fourth- and sixth-round picks.
Darnold didn't fare much better in his first season with the Panthers, going 4-7 as a starter and completing 59.9 percent of his passes for 2,527 yards, nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He has thrown more picks than touchdowns in each of the past two seasons and is just 17-32 as a starter in four seasons.
Corral seems more likely to begin his NFL career as the third quarterback or perhaps the backup if Darnold gets cut, but he may be the long-term answer for Carolina.
He is the most athletic quarterback out of the trio, having rushed for 614 yards and 11 touchdowns at Ole Miss last season. Corral also threw for 3,349 yards, 20 touchdowns and just five interceptions, resulting in a seventh-place finish in the Heisman Trophy voting.
The first major opportunity for every Panthers quarterback to prove themselves will come Aug. 13 when they face the Washington Commanders in their preseason opener.
Panthers 1st Rounder Ikem Ekwonu Has 'a Long Way to Go' to Start, Says HC Matt Rhule
Aug 4, 2022
SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA - AUGUST 02: Ikem Ekwonu #79 of the Carolina Panthers attends training camp at Wofford College on August 02, 2022 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Being the No. 6 pick in the 2022 NFL draft doesn't guarantee Ikem Ekwonu a spot in the starting lineup for the Carolina Panthers.
Speaking to reporters after Wednesday's training camp practice, head coach Matt Rhule said Ekwonu has "got a long way to go" before the regular season begins.
"He does some things really well naturally," Rhule added. "He's unbelievably powerful and talented. But there's a lot to this game. There's a lot of nuances and techniques and all those things. He has a long way to go. He'll get there, but every day he's gotta work."
The Panthers used their top pick this year to add Ekwonu with the hope he could upgrade their offensive line. They graded as the second-worst unit in the NFL during the 2021 season, per Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus.
Ekwonu had a successful three-year stint at North Carolina State. He was awarded the
ACC Jacobs Blocking Trophy given to the best blocker and was a unanimous All-American selection in 2021.
The Athletic's Joe Person noted on Aug. 1 that Ekwonu was working at left tackle with the second team. Brady Christensen was playing with the first team.
Given how much the Panthers have invested in Ekwonu, it would be in their best interest if he was able to start right away. But it sounds like the 21-year-old will have to show a lot over the next month to be with the No. 1 unit in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 11.
Making the Case for Christian McCaffrey as the No. 1 Overall Pick in Fantasy Football
Aug 2, 2022
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 28: Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers during their game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on November 28, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
There's no shortage of opinions every year in fantasy football. Show me an analyst who is sure that Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams will repeat as the No. 1 wide receiver in fantasy football, and I'll show you another convinced that 2022 will be the year of Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings.
However, where the first overall pick is concerned, there's less debate. It may not be unanimous, but the overwhelming majority of fantasy experts believe the No. 1 pick should be used on Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor.
It's not hard to see why—Taylor paced the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards last year, over 550 more than the next-closest back. Taylor recorded 2,171 total yards, found the end zone 20 times, and was fantasy football's highest-scoring running back in points-per-reception scoring systems.
But there's another player. A running back who has shown the ability to post not just RB1 numbers but truly historic ones. A player who owns not only the single-best season at the position over the last 16 years but is also capable of blowing every other running back in the league (Taylor included) out of the water. A player who can give fantasy managers a massive, league-winning edge over the competition.
That player is Christian McCaffrey of the Carolina Panthers,
who was my first pick at No. 2 overall in a recent fantasy draft written up here
at Bleacher Report.
Given the audible groaning and copious eye-rolling emanating from the stands after that statement, we might as well get the case against McCaffrey out of the way first.
CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 21: Christian McCaffrey (22) running back of Carolina during an NFL football game between the Washington Football Team and the Carolina Panthers on November 21, 2021, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Injuries.
There's no sugarcoating it—McCaffrey's last two seasons have been a mess. In 2020, he played in just three games due to ankle, shoulder and leg injuries. Last year, McCaffrey missed 10 games and was in and out of two more with hamstring and ankle problems.
All told, that's 23 missed games over two seasons and quite a few fantasy teams wrecked because of it. But the thing is, if injury concerns are your sole reason for fading McCaffrey early, then you should be fading Taylor, too. In fact, you should pick a wide receiver first overall.
Because injury concerns just go with the running back
position.
Josh Hermsmeyer of RotoViz (h/t Kevin Tompkins of Fantasy Alarm) conducted a seven-year study of injury rates and found that running backs are 200-360 percent more likely to suffer a serious injury (four or more weeks lost) than wide receivers.
We've seen that play out with elite running backs in recent years. After leading all running backs in PPR points in 2019, McCaffrey missed most of the 2020 season. Derrick Henry topped 2,000 rushing yards last year, only to miss more than half of the 2021 campaign with a broken foot.
It's also worth noting that both McCaffrey's 2019 season and Henry's 2020 campaign put them in the crosshairs of "The Curse of 370." Long story short, running backs who eclipse 370 touches in a season tend to experience a significant drop-off the following year.
Taylor touched the ball 372 times in 2021. Just saying.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 14: Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers runs with the ball against Zach Allen #94 of the Arizona Cardinals during the first quarter at State Farm Stadium on November 14, 2021 in Glendale, Arizona. The Panthers defeated the Cardinals 34-10. (Photo by Kelsey Grant/Getty Images)
All injury histories aren't created equally, either.
McCaffrey's issues over the past two years haven't required surgery, and he hasn't
suffered repetitive injuries to the same body part. In the opinion of Dr. Deepak
Chona at Rotoballer, McCaffrey's durability is no more concerning than any
other back's.
"Yes, he missed time due to injury in each of the
last two seasons. However, if you look more closely, those injuries don't form
a recurring pattern. Additionally, McCaffrey tends to be among the league's
best pass-catchers at the RB position. On a per-play basis, receptions pose a
lower injury risk than carries, so from a touch distribution standpoint, he
actually fits the prototype for the type of RB worth betting on early."
For his part, McCaffrey told Steve Smith Sr. of the NFL Network he's 100 percent healthy this year and eager to get back after it.
"Yeah, I feel great. You know, I think that's an easy way to put it. This is the best I've ever felt. Luckily, I didn't have any surgeries, no operations or anything like that. Just a bunch of annoying injuries that kept me off the field. But once again, just taking it one day at a time. I feel great right now, and that's all I'm really focused on. It's just practicing as hard as I can, recovering as hard as I can, showing up to every meeting with intent, and, you know, just putting my body, my mind and everything in the best position to succeed."
KANSAS CITY, MO - NOVEMBER 08: Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (22) heads up field after a reception during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
If that's the case, and McCaffrey really is 100 percent,
then he could be on the verge of a massive season.
Back in 2018, McCaffrey topped 1,000 rushing yards, caught 107 passes, scored 13 total
touchdowns and finished second in PPR fantasy points to Saquon Barkley of the
New York Giants.
That was nothing compared to what he did in 2019. That year,
McCaffrey went over the 1,000-yard mark in both rushing and receiving, caught
116 passes, found the end zone 19 times and finished as fantasy's highest-scoring
running back by over
150 PPR points. That's over nine fantasy points per game better than
any other back in the league.
Per StatMuse, McCaffrey has averaged just under 22.5 PPR points per game over his career—more than any other running back in modern history. More than LaDainian Tomlinson. More than Marshall Faulk.
Even in his injury-shortened seasons the past two years, McCaffrey's per-game production was outstanding. In 2020, he averaged just over 30 PPR points per game, nearly five more points per contest than eventual No. 1 back Alvin Kamara. According to Tompkins, McCaffrey averaged 23.6 PPR points per game in his five full games in 2021.
In addition, McCaffrey isn't just an important part of the Panthers offense. He is the offense—the straw that stirs the proverbial drink. Over the past four years, McCaffrey has averaged 22.4 touches per game.
McCaffrey's career average of 6.2 catches per game extrapolates to 105 catches per 17-game season. A year ago, McCaffrey posted high-end RB2 numbers with his receiving usagealone.
Christian McCaffrey would have been RB14 in fantasy points per game in 2021 (15.4 FPPG).
WITH JUST HIS RECEIVING FANTASY POINTS IN FULL PPR.
If you like scoring fantasy points, there should be no doubt who the 1.01 is. For me, it's CMC and then the rest of the field in 2022. pic.twitter.com/kcRxlJg9CX
— Kevin Tompkins (Can Be Found On BlueSky) (@ktompkinsii) June 11, 2022
That is a jaw-dropping stat. But as we've already seen, it's far from the only one where McCaffrey is concerned. And even if Carolina scales back his workload a bit in an effort to help keep him healthy, he's a lock to see 20 touches every game.
Is there risk involved with drafting Christian McCaffrey? Yes. But there's risk involved with every running back. Injuries are a fact of life at the position, and the last time a league-leading fantasy back finished inside the top-five the following year was Ray Rice in 2011 and 2012. McCaffrey really isn't that much riskier than Taylor or Austin Ekeler of the Chargers.
CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 21: Christian McCaffrey (22) running back of Carolina during an NFL football game between the Washington Football Team and the Carolina Panthers on November 21, 2021, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The notion of "missing" with the first pick terrifies a lot of fantasy managers, so much so that they sacrifice upside for perceived safety. But there's no such thing as a completely safe pick.
McCaffrey isn't measurably riskier than other running backs, and he has a stratospheric fantasy ceiling that no other back can match.
The point of fantasy football isn't to draft the safest
team. It's to draft the team that scores the most points. And where running backs are concerned, no one has the
potential to score more fantasy points than McCaffrey.
Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers
Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on Twitter @IDPSharks.
Panthers' Robby Anderson Announces He's Changing Spelling of Name to 'Robbie'
Jul 29, 2022
CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 21: Robby Anderson (11) wide receiver of Carolina during an NFL football game between the Washington Football Team and the Carolina Panthers on November 21, 2021, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Robbie Anderson revealed Friday that he's changing the spelling of his first name from Robby to Robbie, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
"I kinda like how it looks. It's better on paper with the 'ie' on the end," Anderson said. "That's what it was when I wore No. 3, too."
Anderson changed his number from No. 11 to No. 3 in May.
The 29-year-old has spent the last two seasons in Carolina after playing for the New York Jets for the first four years of his career.
In 33 games across two seasons with the Panthers, he has caught 148 passes for 1,615 yards and eight touchdowns. However, he had a rough 2021 campaign, catching just 53 passes for 519 yards and five touchdowns on 110 targets in 17 games.
With the new spelling of his first name, perhaps Anderson can make a fresh start in 2022. He will still be a significant part of Carolina's passing offense alongside DJ Moore and Terrace Marshall Jr.
Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold to Split Panthers QB1 Reps for 'Immediate Future'
Jul 28, 2022
Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold, left, looks to throw as quarterback Baker Mayfield looks on during the NFL football team's training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., Wednesday, July 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule told reporters on Thursday that veteran quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold would be splitting practice reps half-and-half "for the immediate future."
The Panthers traded for Mayfield this offseason after Darnold's disappointing 2021 campaign.
Rhule has maintained throughout July that, despite Mayfield's highly publicized acquisition this offseason, the quarterback position was still up for grabs.
"I want us to be a competitive team," he told reporters Wednesday. "I talk about competition all the time, meaning you gotta fight for what you want. Again, my job is not to pick the starting quarterback. I have to make that decision. It’s the guys' play. Russell Wilson, ya know, walked into a situation in Seattle with Matt Flynn, who had just had a guaranteed contract and Charlie Whitehurst, they just traded for, and he won the job. So I want competition. The best player will play."
Given that Mayfield has had the better career to this point after being the top overall selection in the 2018 NFL draft—Darnold was the No. 3 pick that year—he's expected to ultimately emerge as the frontrunner.
Additionally, Darnold had his shot at the QB1 role last year and struggled immensely, throwing for 2,527 yards, nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing 59.9 percent of his passes. Teams generally don't trade for a quarterback if they are happy with their in-house options.
But however it plays out, Darnold told reporters on Tuesday that the competition isn't affecting the relationship between the quarterbacks.
"When things start rolling in training camp, it's just going to be fun to be able to compete and have fun with it," he said. "At the end of the day, this is a business and we both take our craft and what we do very seriously. So it's going to be serious when that time comes to compete, but off the field and all of that stuff, me and Baker are really cool."
Mayfield added that being able to collaborate and work with Darnold was a plus.
"It's unique because we’re all pretty young. Sam and I are the oldest ones in the room and we're only going into Year 5," he told reporters Wednesday. "So we're able to compete and kind of bounce ideas off of each other. Just the different systems that we've been in. Obviously, they're learning this one for the first time, too. So compare it, contrast and just come up with ideas to see the most efficient way to run things and get this team winning."
Panthers Rookie Matt Corral Regrets Attending Ole Miss; Says He Took 'Easy Way Out'
Jul 27, 2022
CHARLOTTE, NC - MAY 13: Carolina Panthers Quarterback Matt Corral (9) throws the ball during day one of the Rookie Mini Camp on May 13, 2022 at the Carolina Panthers Practice Facility in Charlotte, NC. (Photo by David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
As he prepares for his first NFL season with the Carolina Panthers, Matt Corral thinks his decision to play at the University of Mississippi didn't challenge him in ways that he would have liked.
Speaking to reporters at training camp, Corral said he "took the easy way out" by attending Ole Miss because it provided him with the opportunity to play right away.
"Knowing what I know now and trusting my work ethic, I would have [gone] to a place that would have made me compete," he explained.
When Corral was a prospect at Long Beach Poly in California, he committed to USC two years before he graduated high school in 2018.
In 2017, Corral decommitted from USC. He committed to Florida a month later but flipped to Ole Miss that December after Jim McElwain was fired as Gators head coach.
Speaking to Tom Loy of 247Sports in 2018 about his recruiting carousel, Corral said he wanted to be at Florida and told incoming head coach Dan Mullen he didn't need to pursue any other quarterbacks:
"I told Florida I'm the guy. Don't recruit anyone. I said we're done. Coach Mullen said 'We're done recruiting. You're our quarterback. You're our guy.’ Alright, set. I'm thinking about it all night and it just didn't sit right with me. I just felt like I didn't make the right decision. I called Florida the day coach Luke came by. They were hitting me up when coach [Matt] Luke was there, but I wasn't really responding because he was there. I hit Florida up later that night, but nobody picked up. I don't know if they felt something was going to happen, but none of them picked up. So, I sent them a text saying thank you for all of this and everything, then I de-committed and committed to Ole Miss."
Playing for the Rebels provided Corral with an opportunity to start early. He redshirted in 2018 before taking over as the starter in 2019. He threw for 8,048 yards and 55 touchdowns and completed 67.2 percent of his attempts from 2019 to 2021.
Mississippi won 10 games in Corral's final season for the first time since 2015. The Rebels lost 21-7 to Baylor in the Sugar Bowl. Corral was knocked out of the game in the first quarter with a leg injury.
Corral's comment at Panthers training camp was in response to a question about competing with Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold to be the starting quarterback.
Even though it's expected the competition will be between Mayfield and Darnold, Corral said he's coming in hoping to earn the starting job while acknowledging "this is a process" for him.
"It's all about the longevity of getting a job," he added. "I'm in a rush, but I'm not, if that makes sense."
The Panthers traded up to select Corral with the 94th pick in the 2022 draft. He will likely start this season as the No. 3 quarterback behind Mayfield and Darnold, but his upside makes him an intriguing long-term option.
Both Mayfield and Darnold can become free agents after this season. If Corral shows enough promise behind the scenes, he could take over as the No. 1 quarterback in 2023.
Sam Darnold Says He, Baker Mayfield Are 'Really Cool' amid Panthers QB Competition
Jul 26, 2022
Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold during NFL football practice in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, June 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold may be battling for the Carolina Panthers' starting quarterback role, but Darnold says the competition doesn't affect their relationship off the field.
"When things start rolling in training camp, it's just going to be fun to be able to compete and have fun with it," Darnold told reporters Tuesday. "At the end of the day, this is a business and we both take our craft and what we do very seriously. So it's going to be serious when that time comes to compete, but off the field and all of that stuff, me and Baker are really cool."
Mayfield is the favorite to win the starting job after the Panthers traded for him July 6. They wouldn't have made that move if they felt confident in Darnold's ability to hold down the starting gig.
Darnold addressed the trade Tuesday:
"That's not really my job to try to understand or evaluate why [the trade was made]. For me it's about competing. At the end of the day, we all want to win as Panthers. We're all on the same team. And they're going to do whatever they feel like it's best for the team to win ball games this year.
"If that's bringing in Baker and me competing with him and us competing with each other to battle it out for the starting job, that's the best thing for the team."
DJ Moore has known Mayfield and Darnold since the pre-draft process, said it’s not surprising they worked out together, they won’t let competition complicate their friendship. pic.twitter.com/iGt277qOlW
Rhule said Darnold has been an "ultimate team guy" in regards to the acquisition of Baker Mayfield. Loves how he's worked this offseason and looks forward to the competition.
They've worked out together here in Charlotte before camp.
Asked about his thoughts on the QB position with Darnold and Mayfield, Rhule says the players will dictate it, and the competition will dictate who starts.
Mayfield has had the better career, though Darnold's early years with the cellar-dweller New York Jets deserve mention. Here's how their career stats match up after each was selected within the first three picks of the 2018 NFL draft:
Darnold went 4-7 as the Panthers starter last season, including a 3-0 start before things fell apart. A shoulder injury cost him time midway through the season, and the Panthers were 5-5 after P.J. Walker led them to a win in relief duty before they lost seven straight games to close the year.
That prompted the offseason addition of Mayfield to help solidify the quarterback position, though Darnold won't give up the job without a fight.
"We're both in our eyes the starting quarterback for this team right now,'' Darnold said. "And that's how we're both going to view it. So it's just about going out there and competing, and that will be fun."