Seriously though what the hell were they thinking picking up Darnold's 5th year option?

[Evil Hurney]

1 hour ago, TheCasillas said:

Someone mentioned there was an out on the 5th year option. So I elected to read the 2020 CBA on Rookie Contracts, and I found some interesting pieces in there.

This one was the most interesting:

When a team exercises the option, it becomes guaranteed for injury only. If the player is on the team’s roster at the start of the League Year in his option season, his salary becomes fully guaranteed for skill, cap and injury.

The payments are not considered Rookie Salary and do not count toward league or club rookie pools or allocations. The player’s option-year salary is also not subject to the 25% Rule.

 

So, after reading this, does that mean the Panthers can cut Darnold after this season, and we don't have to pay it? or even if we trade him to another team does it get paid (Brock Osweiller/Teddy Bridgewater/Nick Foles type of trade)?

 

source

This article and the highlighted portion are talking about the old CBA. There is a link at the very top takes you over to the updates made in 2020. 

This is the most relevant section of the current CBA for 5th year options: https://overthecap.com/collective-bargaining-agreement/article/7/section/7/(g)(v)/

Excerpt: "For any Drafted Rookie selected in the first round of the 2018 or any subsequent Draft, the entire Paragraph 5 Salary for the Fifth-Year Option shall become guaranteed for skill, injury, and Salary Cap-related termination, effective upon the Club’s exercise of the Option."

In short, we will owe Sam $18M next season regardless. The only outs are to trade him or possibly get him to agree to a restructured contract ... or I suppose it would void if he were to violate some clause of the contract

Edited November 12, 2021 by Evil Hurney

[BlitzMonster]

1 hour ago, TheCasillas said:

Someone mentioned there was an out on the 5th year option. So I elected to read the 2020 CBA on Rookie Contracts, and I found some interesting pieces in there.

This one was the most interesting:

When a team exercises the option, it becomes guaranteed for injury only. If the player is on the team’s roster at the start of the League Year in his option season, his salary becomes fully guaranteed for skill, cap and injury.

The payments are not considered Rookie Salary and do not count toward league or club rookie pools or allocations. The player’s option-year salary is also not subject to the 25% Rule.

 

So, after reading this, does that mean the Panthers can cut Darnold after this season, and we don't have to pay it? or even if we trade him to another team does it get paid (Brock Osweiller/Teddy Bridgewater/Nick Foles type of trade)?

 

source

 

Evil Hurney said above what I just posted 

Edited November 12, 2021 by BlitzMonster

[NorthTryon]

2 hours ago, Sean Payton's Vicodin said:

I can kind of see why they traded for him, hoping that he was another diamond in the rough mistreated by Adam Gase like Tannehill was, but why did they pick up his 5th year option before even playing a snap????

I didn't know that in all NFL circles except Carolina and New York he was considered the worst starting QB in the NFL when all of his stats were compiled. And we traded three picks after seeing him on film, then picked up option without him taking a snap for us. I think it was 55 or something guaranteed between him and Teddy. How is that for incompetence?

[Jackie Lee]

1 minute ago, Evil Hurney said:

This article and the highlighted portion are talking about the old CBA. There is a link at the very top takes you over to the updates made in 2020. 

This is the most relevant section of the current CBA for 5th year options: https://overthecap.com/collective-bargaining-agreement/article/7/section/7/(g)(v)/

Excerpt: "For any Drafted Rookie selected in the first round of the 2018 or any subsequent Draft, the entire Paragraph 5 Salary for the Fifth-Year Option shall become guaranteed for skill, injury, and Salary Cap-related termination, effective upon the Club’s exercise of the Option."

Yup we're paying him unless we send him and a valuable draft pick to a tanking team. 

[1989]

Only thing I can think is they were taking a huge gamble to show their confidence in him, hoping he would buy into and become a legit QB on the cheap. 

[TLGPanthersFan]

26 minutes ago, NorthTryon said:

I didn't know that in all NFL circles except Carolina and New York he was considered the worst starting QB in the NFL when all of his stats were compiled. And we traded three picks after seeing him on film, then picked up option without him taking a snap for us. I think it was 55 or something guaranteed between him and Teddy. How is that for incompetence?

During a press conference Rhule said that he didn’t really watch any film on Darnold. 

[pantherj]

I don't even think I realized how much Sam was wearing on me as a fan until Cam came back. That blank expression on Sam's face after he throws all those picks just took the life out of me.

[NorthTryon]

1 hour ago, TLGPanthersFan said:

During a press conference Rhule said that he didn’t really watch any film on Darnold. 

Brady watched it when he was preparing to interview for head coaching vacancy.

[Cpt slay a ho]

Better than signing him to a bigger ext after his first 4 games .

this is the only thing I can be happy about unfortunately 

[WOW!!]

It was all a plan to coddle Sam..

They were playing Psychology 101 and trying to give Sam every sence that they believe in him.. He is their guy.. This isn't New York.. You will be supported, babied, and protected from becoming a basket case... Giving him the 5th year I guess was a way to take the pressure off Sam..

It did not work...

[NanuqoftheNorth]

11 hours ago, Waldo said:

They really thought Sam was a great answer. That's the scary part, not pissing away 19 mil next year. It was a bad evaluation, a bad trade and a bad option pickup. We can eat dead cap like the best of them but the evaluation and how sure they were is terrifying. 

They will trade him to someone for a 2024 7th and eat 16 mil of that mistake. 

Panthers did the same thing by unnecessarily extending Robbie as well.

Draft Robbie's replacement this Spring and then extend him? Why?

Is there some sort of irrational love for former Jets players in the front office?

It is worrying. 

Who is responsible for making these costly decisions?  Will they ever be held accountable?

[PNW_PantherMan]

9 hours ago, TLGPanthersFan said:

During a press conference Rhule said that he didn’t really watch any film on Darnold. 

And they were willing to pay draft picks to risk the whole season on him?  That's just careless.

[Jackie Lee]

3 minutes ago, PNW_PantherMan said:

And they were willing to pay draft picks to risk the whole season on him?  That's just careless.

He also drafted a long snapper over Trey Smith

[tiger7_88]

12 hours ago, Sean Payton's Vicodin said:

I can kind of see why they traded for him

I 100% disagree... I think trading for Sam Darnold (*especially* when surrendering a 2nd round pick) was an act of utter insanity.  It was fugging EASY to see what Sam Darnold was from his track record.  And trading for him and his utterly disastrous performance is in no way HIS fault.

Sam Darnold is and always has been Sam Fugging Darnold.  If "professional" football people couldn't see that then they were either blind,  stupid. or insane.

Whether or not that blindness or stupidity or insanity is irrecoverable in this organization is yet to be seen. 

Maybe Tepper stepping in and bringing back Cam (I don't see for a single minute that could have been Rhule's decision) will bring clarity to this.