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It’s funny, because one of the key factors in building my own thing over the past (two) years has been developing relationships with sources. Not only do I have sourcing, I work hard to use it w care. I don’t have an inflated opinion of myself, and I understand who the beat writers truly are. In fact, they appear on my Fox Sports Upstate talk show weekly, sometimes daily. I enjoy my niche. My information is solid, from solid NFL folks, used only when appropriate. Thanks for your feedback, I hope you’re doing well

Poser, using my real name, producing real content, actually interacting with people without being a douche. You’re the only guy doing this, honestly. This is a fun place to hang out, but you have been a little weird. If you’d like to send me a message, and let me know what your problem is with me specifically, that’s a great way to handle it. But, that’s not what you’ll do, and we both know that. Again, be well.

Media critic sizzle buzz would disagree. But thank you. It’s nice to know!

If I started a Twitter page with nothing with puppies in beautiful field of flowers, you would complain about the filtering on the picture. We would disagree on the sky being blue, and I would just let you win the argument. That’s our relationship here, and I don’t think it’s going any further than that. Thanks for your feedback, and whatever. Enjoy the rest of your morning.

For those who appreciate the work I put in, thank you. Through my own procurement of information and reporting over the past couple of weeks now, the sense I get: Carolina was viewed (HIGHLY) favorably by the brass in Houston, as they a saw specific group of players they coveted on Carolina‘s roster: “starting caliber defensive players on rookie deals”. They have been most enamored with defense: Chinn/Burns/Horn/Brown/YGM/, I’m told McCaffrey is somebody Carolina’s prefers to hold onto, but once again, they are not adverse to considering him a part of any package. I don’t get the sense Houston is pushing hard for his services, same could be said for Sam Darnold. I can confirm JA‘s reporting: nobody is truly off-limits. Carolina is prepared to overextend, if necessary, to provide the most lucrative package. Again, Houston sees actual players they would like from Carolina, they’ll still get their three first round picks, and Caserio seems comfortable dealing with thmem.

Thank you for the feedback, and keep up the great work.

Any number of people, but not Gantt —I only bother him for radio hits and Bojangles takes. But once again, thanks for taking an unusual interest in the granular details of my work. I hope you’re getting everything you need from me on this, in terms of fulfillment. Talk to you again in a few days, I guess.

I haven’t been given a direct answer from the team on that, but perhaps somebody else has. I’m going to assume collaboration—it’s won them a few Scrabble games in the past. I do get a sense that Matt is a little less involved than before, but I don’t think he’s out of touch here in terms of being a part of the negotiation. I am willing to bet David Tepper is in on every phone call, zoom call, whatever the hell call they’re on at any moment. The Watson play feels very much like his baby, Scott was barely here when that was getting amped up. Dan Morgan is pretty busy these days.

Oh yes, and let me explain my reasoning behind that: I reached out to Albright, he responded back, because I wanted a little more clarity on what he meant by this. I was not on the zoom call, a couple of reporter friends of mine texted me about his comments. When I asked Benjamin for little more context, this was his response, and then he deleted it:

I was thinking the same thing a couple of weeks ago, but started coming to the realization that this was a conversation that would probably be broached, at the very least, by Houston. Again, no confirmation from my end that both will be packaged in an offer together. Oh man, if New Orleans is in the lead in the final hours, it would feel like a Tep move to simply overextend and fork out more just to win the trade.

This is true, Watson does hold the cards as we get into this portion of the trade discussions. But Carolina’s ability to match Houston’s needs via trade keeps them in the mix. I don’t know anyone who truly knows what Watson thinks about Carolina, their situation, or how his presence there would translate to w’s. I don’t know what do you thinks about the coach, I don’t know how he feels about the OC, I do know he likes Sean Ryan. Watson paired with a healthy McCaffrey would look and feel dynamic. The Panthers could also, presumably, renegotiate/restructure Watson’s current deal, leveling out, while converting some of the 22 cap charge to signing bonus (cash). From there, if permitted, the Panthers would likely look to use contractual restructure as a selling point for Watson, using some of their upcoming salary cap as the “Watson Fund” of sorts. A huge bump in salary/years, or some variation thereof would likely END DW’s unspoken, assumed reluctance to play here.

I appreciate the speculation and conversation, it’s part of what makes this time of year crazy fun. As long as were speculating, let me speculate on this: from talking to folks around Houston, McCaffrey is not viewed as a high priority from the Texans end. I’ve seen his name mentioned, and I understand why that correlation would be drawn. But he’s played in less than 30% of his games since signing that deal, and Caserio is much fonder of Carolina’s group of young players, particularly on defense, who would come in on rookie deals. As far as Carolina being used as a leverage instrument: The goal with these trade talks between teams is not to screw over that other guy. It’s a constructive exercise, in which both parties look to build trust while negotiating mutually beneficial trade proposals. This is the business of the NFL, as one day down the road, you will likely be dealing with the same group of people again. Houston would not continue to engage with Carolina if they knew for a fact Watson would veto it. Hence, arrangements are reportedly being made for Carolina to meet with Watson, presumably to assess his current frame of mind/interest in Carolina, while making DW a pitch in an effort to stay off the “no trade list.”

Felt like Letterman circa 1988 that day.

Yeah, that was an absolute moment LOL. Sidenote, that was in the dead of September in Easley, South Carolina, and we were wearing blazers in an outdoor venue. The sun was reflecting off of tin roof, right into my goddamn face. And yes, I was attacked by some type of parrot. And they actually gave me a paycheck for that day. No complaints, and I appreciate you remembering that LOL.

I don’t get by as much as I should, but I always appreciate the conversations here.

It would be wonderful if we could just, you know, name everybody we had built a level of trust with over the years as we offer some valuable information regarding developing stories. I mean, wouldn’t that be great? Just confirmed sources, no background. Instead, we live and operate in a world that, for years, has produced solid accounting of events without the need to compromise the identity of individuals who contribute to this reporting. So, there’s a natural tendency to discredit people for offering a story that includes sourcing on background, while offering input from individuals who (often wisely) wish to not be named. I would just encourage people to give new reporters an opportunity to build their careers before assuming that they’re just making stuff up. (I had to swim through that sea of doubt from people for about a year as I cranked up this project, and never really bothered me, because my “unnamed sources” and I were able to laugh our asses off about it in real time. So, that’s always therapeutic lmao) Over the years, I’ve made nothing up—never had to. Never wanted to. Never occurred to me to need to. I don’t know anybody in their right mind who would do it. When you scoff at every report and default whine about unnamed sources, I dunno, perhaps it could simply be a reflection of your own insecurity. I can say with a pretty high degree of confidence: Most people who last don’t do this. So, believe what you want. But if you know deep down a reporter has credibility, and you’re just choosing to hold back your seal of approval until you get an actual name with a quote, perhaps the mirror is a good place to start in terms of assessing the problem.

Most of you who follow my work understand how I operate, and there’s always going to be a few people who don’t understand it. Hell, I get it, and it’s really not about me. It’s about offering value for no who have been kind enough to follow my work. I really enjoy what I do, and I appreciate you guys engaging with me on Twitter, and allowing me to share some perspective here.

From my perspective, I’m not on the beat, so I’m not coming at this from a conventional perspective. It’s a relationships business, as a broadcaster in particular, it’s less about trolling for information, and more about building mutual trust and respect. My role in the media allows me more time to build that trust, and it’s been a rewarding experience. Those who cover the team on the beat have spent hours, countless hours, developing their network of relationships. Agents are a part of that network. But it’s not the only element here, in terms of representation leaking out info. In fact, I haven’t spoken with David about his client. I’m sure he’s out there doing his job on that front, and that’s a big part of this game. But again, if I’m offering up information from a source, it’s done with care and consideration. I value these relationships a hell of a lot more than angling for intel.

Oh, look, I don’t think it’s anywhere close to a lock that he would be willing to come here, and I think you raise a great point. They are already behind the eight ball in terms of assets and giving up more of them, including a couple of core players (presumably) makes Carolina even less attractive as a destination. It’s a catch 22, and while Watson’s options may become more limited, he’ll still have a few suitors, and I can’t think of any who would be less attractive than Carolina. I realize he’s from Georgia, and he played at Clemson, and that’s not nothing. But it’s also not everything.

Florio’s reported, among others, that the Panthers were not adverse to making a play for watson on the trade deadline with the civil complaints unresolved. Independently, I can’t verify that, other than to say I haven’t heard anyone push back on it. Just want to be clear about that, it’s not insignificant. In any event, they have been players in this about as long as any team in the league.

It certainly runs counter to the made for TV event, during I believe rush-hour traffic, In which the owner commandeered a crew to hoist Jerry Richardson’s ridiculous statue up into the heavens on a goddamn crane, and loaded onto flatbed, In the name of culture change. I had no problem with removing the statue, Jerry made that bed, so there’s that. It would be fun if Watson was not what is being accused, because he’s an outstanding player, and would immediately make Carolina relevant again. But until nearly 2 dozen complaints are resolved, and more importantly, the criminal element is deemed non-existent, these are terrible optics. Counterpoint: they reportedly hired an investigator, this is not new news by the way, and they have been taking their time on it. And, this is the brutal truth of it, Dave might just be willing to overlook a lot of what some of us wouldn’t to make this all happen, because at the end of the day, I can unequivocally say that he wants a star QB that bad.

As with anything, until we know the whole story, there are no real absolutes here. Those with whom I have spoken within that circle have consistently told me that the team has been steadfast in their Watson interest. I do think criminal charges would curb that pretty quick, and like I said earlier in the thread, I think that’s pretty much what it comes down to. I think that would be the only thing that would break their interest. They’ve taken their time, and David Tepper is not afraid to overextend for whatever he wants. Did the same thing with his current HC.

A preemptive TL;DR: if he doesn’t face criminal charges, my feeling is the Panthers will aggressively make a play for Watson, even if the civil complaints have not been fully resolved. We will get a better sense of all of this if he is cleared of criminal charges in the coming days. You’ll probably get some more substantial reporting/clarity on his wish list of teams. Carolina doesn’t seem to be out of play, but I’m not certain that will be his first choice. Now, here’s a thread about it, I hope this offers some value: