The Panthers locked up one of Sam Darnold’s offensive-line protectors over the summer and are on the verge of keeping one of his favorite targets around a while, as well.
The team is deep in talks on a multiyear extension for wide receiver Robby Anderson and could finalize the deal in the next several days, a league source told The Athletic.
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The 28-year-old Anderson had his first 1,000-yard receiving season in 2020 during his first year in Charlotte, where he’s been reunited this year with Darnold, his former Jets teammate. Anderson signed a two-year, $20 million contract with the Panthers last March that included $12 million in guaranteed money, all of which came in the first year.
Even after signing right tackle Taylor Moton to a five-year, $85 million contract in July, the Panthers have the league’s third-most salary cap space at $24.7 million, according to the NFLPA database.
Extending Anderson will not preclude the Panthers from taking care of another one of their weapons — fourth-year wideout DJ Moore, who’s posted consecutive 1,100-yard receiving seasons. The Panthers picked up Moore’s fifth-year option (worth $11.1 million) for 2022, but they hope to get a long-term deal done with Moore next year.
Meanwhile, cornerback Donte Jackson — a starter since the Panthers drafted him in the second round in 2018 — is in the final year of his rookie deal.
PLAYER | DATE ▲ | YEARS | WORTH | GUARANTEED | THRU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dec. 2019 | 4 | $54.4M | $27.5M | 2023 | |
April 2020 | 4 | $64M | $38.20 | 2025 | |
July 2021 | 5 * | $85M | $43M | 2025 |
* Moton signed a new contract instead of an extension
Asked last week about possible extensions, Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer said: “We’re working on one pretty significantly right now, then another one’s kind of on the come.”
Addressing a follow-up question on Anderson, Fitterer added: “I don’t want to get into specifics of certain players. Just contract-wise, I don’t talk about it. I think it’s personal business to them. But obviously, he’s one of the guys that would be next in line.”
Anderson declined to say much about his contract situation when talking to reporters early in camp. “Things like that, I like to keep my business confidential. And I know it’s going to work itself out in due time,” he said. “I just grind and put in work and let that stuff take care of itself.”
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Re-upping with Anderson makes sense, though the Panthers will have a good chunk of money tied up at the position if they’re able to re-sign Moore, who won’t be cheap. Anderson is coming off a career year (95 catches for 1,096 yards and three touchdowns) in Joe Brady’s offense, and has familiarity with Darnold and Matt Rhule, his Temple coach who went to bat to get Anderson back in school after an academic suspension.
Anderson has game-changing speed, although observers thought he had a limited route tree and would take plays off when he wasn’t the primary target in New York. The ultra-lean, 6-3, 190-pounder caught balls all over the field in Brady’s system but is still best known for his quick-strike ability.
“He’s super-fast, so he’s always someone who’s gonna take the top off,” Darnold said last week at Wofford. “There’s plenty of guys on this team to be able to do that. But when you have elite speed like Robby has, you’re gonna miss him.”
Anderson has missed time this spring and summer. He stayed home in south Florida and skipped the voluntary OTAs before showing up for the mandatory, two-day minicamp. He was sidelined early in camp with an illness, was absent for FanFest while dealing with a personal issue in Florida and sat out the two joint practices with the Ravens this week with a hamstring injury.
Anderson started Saturday’s preseason game against Baltimore and caught Darnold’s first pass — a 16-yarder that took the Panthers into the red zone. After the Panthers failed to produce points on the opening drive, Darnold, Anderson and most of the first-team offense were done for the night.
Despite not being on the field for all of camp, Anderson turned in two of the best plays at Wofford with a pair of one-handed catches — one in the welcome-back practice at Gibbs Stadium and the other on a throw from Darnold during team drills on Aug. 9 after returning from Florida. During the joint practices at Indianapolis, Anderson twice returned to the field despite being bothered by a leg issue.
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He has a unique personality (see: “What’s that bear doing?”). But Panthers fans and teammates have embraced him.
Anderson, who had two offseason arrests while with the Jets, said in an interview last October he wanted “to come into this new opportunity and do everything the right way,” adding he thought Charlotte and the Panthers represented “a good situation for me as a person.”
It also turned out to be a good situation for Anderson professionally — and now, financially, too. But the player who has a “No Pain, No Gain” tattoo emblazoned across his collarbone said he’s not satisfied.
“My mindset is I’m trying to go from good to great,” he said at the beginning of training camp. “We didn’t win last year. That’s the most important thing, so I’m just trying to do more on my end to contribute more to winning and perfect everything on my end, my craft.”
Whether the Panthers win this year will hinge heavily on the play of Darnold, who should have a fast — and happy — receiver to whom he can throw deep.
(Photo: Grant Halverson / Getty Images)
