hepcat

Matt Ryan was livid. Sheena doesn’t know wtf she was talking about

It was Falcons all the way until they couldn’t move Matt Ryan

Falcons couldn’t move Ryan and pissed him off in the process.

I never really believed he'd play for the Panthers and I have been vocally against trading for him since the allegations came out. He deserves to play for that sh*tstain of an organization in Atlanta and they deserve him. Watson is going to gut that team with the resources required to trade for him. Side note bro Watson didn't you lose to Kyle f*cking Allen in your home stadium?

his career might be done, he didn't play a ton last season after sitting out 2020 due to covid. might get a shot somewhere on a minimum 1 year deal

I saw this one called out in several places and fully expected this signing. Replacement for DaQuan Jones.

yep nice call lol I wonder if Tre is talking about himself

That's my impression of it. From everything I've heard, Deshaun pretty much made up his mind to go to Atlanta after hearing the pitches from the other 3 teams involved. Atlanta is just having a hell of a time making a deal work with that Matt Ryan contract. NFL is trying to spin a narrative that Matt Ryan has been involved in the whole process which is BS. I told you guys the storyline would begin changing today.

Might be true Deshaun asked the Panthers for some contract guarantees yesterday but at that point it's very unlikely he was still seriously considering a trade to the Panthers. The request was most likely made to get leverage in contract negotiations with the Falcons and the Panthers just said nah dawg we good.

Nice. Tre is a real dude, he was always fun to have on the team. Wish he took better angles in coverage though

I think it's time for Sheena to move on from covering the Panthers.

Nah man if he sneaks into a wildcard spot he's safe for another season even if it's at a 9-8 record.

The Panthers most likely knew they were out of the race by that point. Deshaun was using the Panthers offer as leverage in his contract negotiations with the Falcons.

It was a long shot the Panthers were getting Watson all along. Falcons have the advantage of being his home town and once he decided to go home to Atlanta it was over. Everything else is irrelevant. The guaranteed years on the contract he requested was just leverage to negotiate with Atlanta.

Nah. Dude disappeared late last year. For a veteran he wasn’t contributing any more than YGM who needs more playing time

the fact they went to the playoffs 2x with Watson

Agreed. Stafford, yes. He straight up gave the Panthers the middle finger. No idea if Wilson was ever really in play for the Panthers but I'm sure they inquired about him. Plain and simple, Watson didn't come to the Panthers because it wasn't the best situation to rehabilitate his brand and image. The fact he's going to the Falcons, who have easily the worst overall roster in the NFC South, shows he's not really concerned about winning, at least in the short term. Matt Rhule isn't fit to be an NFL coach and I have been as critical of him as anyone here since the moment he was hired. But I don't think Watson didn't choose the Panthers because of Rhule.

I'm sure the offense will be better than it was in 2021 as long as Darnold is not the starting QB. Darnold should never see the field as the Panthers starting QB again. The offensive line will certainly be better, especially if they draft a LT at #6. The addition of Foreman shows they are going to commit to the power run game. I think Marshall Jr has a better second season after showing promise last preseason. The main issue as always will be the starting QB. I wouldn't mind seeing Mariota signed as a stopgap this season. If Baker Mayfield can be had as a 1 season tryout for a 4th or 5th round pick I think it's a no brainer.

Minshew wasn't available in the 2020 offseason. He was traded last season from the Jags. They definitely should have pursued him then. I've long said they should have just kept Kyle Allen instead of signing Teddy. Basically the same QB for a fraction of the cost.

This is actually pretty true. Deshaun wants to go to Atlanta and there's really no changing his mind. He listened to all the pitches and decided he wants to go home. Even though Atlanta already had Matt Ryan on a massive contract. It's gonna be a mess but he'll eventually end up there. I don't see it being a success with such a crummy roster.

Matt Ryan can’t be cut, the dead money is like $50m for Atlanta. They have to find a team willing to trade for him or the Watson numbers just don’t work. I don’t see Ryan coming to Carolina either. Colts or bust IMO.

They will have to bring in another QB to compete with Darnold. Rhule won’t wait on a developmental rookie. It’ll either be a trade for Mayfield or Garropolo, a free agent, or Pickett at #6. Willis is probably too raw for Rhule to consider.

I told all of you that as soon as Watson’s camp reached out to Atlanta it was over. He heard all the pitches from the Panthers, Saints, and Browns, and was not impressed. If I had to guess, they didn’t offer enough of a plan to rebuild his image. Deshaun is vain and narcissistic. The scandal has deeply embarrassed him, mainly because it’s true. It’s just an extremely tough thing to prosecute in a man’s world. The optics are going to suck no matter where he goes and Atlanta offers him the best chance to redeem himself. Panthers were never a serious contender and only a backup plan.

He probably always knew. Panthers were probably informed earlier today. But didn’t release the info.

The Panthers have definitely called the Browns for Mayfield. He’s not definitely going back to Cleveland. Rumor has it the Browns have reached out to Cam just for some initial talks.