UNCrules2187

https://x.com/nat_nfldraft/status/1835473968477671662?s=42

https://x.com/dnewtonespn/status/1835457933267869816?s=10

Better than being perpetually .150

Fields 56 yards and a TD on his first drive. 67% of Bryce’s production today. Could’ve had him for a bag of chips

Panthers have led for just 10 seconds in their last 9 games per the broadcast.

Don’t forget we’ll be giving up the 33rd pick in the upcoming draft to complete this trade.

The penalties by this team, such an undisciplined group. What do they even practice?

https://x.com/1pantherplace/status/1835384346141737369?s=10

By all accounts Harbaugh called Tepper TWICE practically asking for the job and the fuging dolt couldn’t put his goddam ego in check to turn over the football ops to a competent adult. This franchise won’t ever win more than 7 games in a season under his ownership tenure.

It’s not about Bryce. He’s a lost cause. But Canales apparently doesn’t do anything else? The team is fuging sloppy, undisciplined, and the guy can’t manage his self out of a paper bag. Looks totally over his head in every aspect.

I’m already out on Canales Jesus Christ

Nah, can't cut him - he'd have a ~$22m dead cap hit and would cost us $12m in cap space. You just have to make him a back up and let the contract play out and decline the 5th year option.

While I’m in the blowout camp, take caution: https://twitter.com/stuckey2/status/1833885138138063022?s=46

Herbert over/under 300 yards? Under, but only because the Chargers will rush for 175+ yards Bryce Young over/under 2 turnovers? Under Bryce Young over/under 200 passing yards? Under Score Predictions? Chargers 27 Panthers 10

Bryce Young's career stats excluding the Packers game: 16 starts, 305/521 (58.5%), 2,726 yards (5.2 YPA), 9 TDs, 12 INTs, 68.3 QB rating, 6 lost fumbles. That Packers game, and really that 2nd half vs the Packers, was a total anomaly. The kid just doesn't have it.

Can you imagine Bryce ever making a throw like this in his career?

I actually think the offensive infrastructure is in a pretty good place, the problem is the QB isn't an NFL level talent. The scheme was good, the line gave the QB time, receivers were open. Bryce airmailed open receivers and it's on him to identify the nickel blitz and slide protections, shift his RB to the blitz side, and audible to a hot. He did none of those things.

Just waiting for the inevitable Jaycee Horn hamstring injury that keeps him out 10 weeks.

https://x.com/tompelissero/status/1833155725914169465?s=46

My prior post notwithstanding, and I'm under no illusions he's amazing, but the fact that Justin Fields was had for a 2025 6th round pick in hindsight is a trade the Panthers may have wish they made. Go with Bryce as the unquestioned starter, sure, but at least there would be a contingency in place to evaluate the rest of the roster if Bryce's first month of the season was a colossal faceplant. Fields isn't great, but at the very least he can make plays with his athleticism and throw the ball 40+ yards down the field.

@CRA I owe you an apology. I thought being super upset at Canales/the team for not playing the starters much in the preseason was overblown. And I still don't know how much that would've changed things given how much of an abject disaster this team looked like yesterday, but it's clear as day they needed more live reps together.

I don't blame Morgan for not bringing in any competition for Young. When the franchise has invested as much as it has into this specific QB, you throw him out there and let him sink or swim. So far, he's sunk, and I think the writing is on the wall at this point, but you play out the string and give him until at least the midway point this season to show something. The franchise has to be absolutely sure he's a complete dud before giving up on him. But make no mistake, he will not be the starter (and may not even be on the roster) come kick off of game 1 of the 2025 season.

The Hurst and Sanders deals seemed terrible from the get go and lo and behold, they were. Hoping the deals made this offseason pan out much better.

I mean I think it's a moot point because I don't think the Panthers were ever planning to cut him. He's a solid RT, has never missed a game, and they clearly like him given they've restructured his contract every single year since signing him to the extension. I think more likely than not they sign him to a something like a 3-year extension after the season so he's on a 4-year deal and replace his 2025 cap figure with something more manageable. But let's say they do want to cut him after the season. While yes, the cap savings aren't as much as they could've been, they can still save $13m on the cap (vs. $18m pre-restructure I believe). So really, it was a no brainer move to get into cap compliance.

You're not interpreting this correctly - his salary for 2025 is not $35m; that is his cap figure, it's an accounting figure. Here's a simple way to explain why it's gotten to that figure. When Moton signed his deal off the franchise tag in 2020, it became a 5-year, $85m deal with a $15m signing bonus. This is a simplified breakdown but still works for illustrative purposes, but that's $17m/year with $14m in base salary and $3m prorated signing bonus. Every year since Moton has signed that deal, the Panthers have restructured his contract to bring his $14m base salary down to the league minimum (typically ~$1m) and take the rest of the base salary (let's say ~$13m), convert that to a signing bonus, and prorate it over the remaining life of the deal. Think of it like this, Moton cap figures at time of signing are $17m every year. Then in 2021 they restructure his contract and bring his 2021 salary down to $1m and prorate the other $14m in base salary over the remaining 4 years so they add $3.5m ($14m/4) to his cap figure every year that's left. His 2021-2025 cap figures become $20.5m. In 2022 they do the same, adding another $4.67m ($14m/3 years remaining) to his 2022-2025 cap figures bringing them to $25.2m etc. In all this time, Moton is not "earning more salary", he's earning the original amount on his contract, it's just being accounted for on the cap at the new figure because of the base salary proration.