It’s been an interesting 48 hours for the Carolina Panthers.
In what started with a tweet from catcher Robbie Anderson.
In his now-deleted tweet, he mentioned he was considering stepping away from football.
This decision not only shocked NFL fans, but also angered Panthers fans.
Some fans have also speculated that Sam Darnold was the reason he wanted to retire.
Sam Darnold forces Robbie Anderson to retire. Sad.
— Kyle Williams 🏈 (@betonthegame) June 11, 2022
However, Anderson has yet to say why he tweeted that he wanted to retire.
But there’s a reason fans are blaming Darnold for the disaster.
Darnold and Anderson have been teammates since moving to New York
While Darnold came to Carolina last year, Anderson was playing with him during his rookie season in New York.
The Jets signed the 29-year-old wide receiver in 2016, and Carolina didn’t sign him until 2020.
While he had a good year in his first season with Carolina, his performance suffered after Darnold’s arrival in 2021.
He also saw the number dwindle once Darnold came to New York.
After posting a season of nearly 1,000 receiving yards in his sophomore year, he would never go above 780 yards with Darnold.
With his performance suffering around his current quarterback, it’s easy to assume the quarterback is the problem.
However, Anderson might have more in mind than the QB situation in Carolina.
Reassessing his career could have been his goal
With things in Carolina not going as planned, he might now want to focus on things outside of football.
Whether it was him doubting himself or not trusting his team, he clearly had a reason to tweet about his retirement.
All we can do is speculate on his reasons until he comes out and tells the world why he made that tweet.
However, a reassessment of his career could be a reason for him to tweet about retirement.
Some players just need a little time away from the NFL before they can get back on track.
Malcolm Butler of the New England Patriots has done it before.
He took time away from the game, only to return in 2022 to relaunch his career.
Malcom Butler, hero and Super Bowl champion, returns home. What a great initiative! Let’s also lock up Stephon Gilmore and no one will score on us.
You know, since we don’t make offensive moves. https://t.co/6dZtlQKnws— Pepper (@Lord_El_Pepper) March 23, 2022
It could have been the same thought process Anderson was going through.
However, with him deleting the retirement tweet, could Carolina be keen to trade it now?
Anderson’s antics could force trade
Although he is currently signed to the Panthers, they could trade him now with this stunt he performed.
They might think he could leave the team at any time.
The Panthers don’t care why he tweeted what he did, but only care about getting something back for him.
By trading him, they at least get something for him.
However, if they keep him and he retires, they get nothing.
It could make for an interesting move on Carolina’s part with what their young receiver has done.
But is there a market for the catcher in the NFL with a trade?
Maybe, but that would require assurances that he’s not retiring and leaving someone with a salary to pay.
One thing is for sure, he made headlines during the NFL offseason.
Sports Grp2