With news breaking that there appears to be a deal in place to send Deshaun Watson to the Miami Dolphins pending a resolution to his legal issues, the Carolina Panthers have now bowed out of the race.
Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Panthers will not be pursuing Watson anymore.
Sources: Owner David Tepper and the #Panthers are not expected to pursue #Texans QB Deshaun Watson at this time. The QB has only waived his no-trade clause for the #Dolphins.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 27, 2021
Watson has been accused of sexual assault and is facing 22 civil suits. The Dolphins want that to be resolved before the November 2 trade deadline which seems super unlikely. As a result of all of it, the Panthers appear to be moving on.
Carolina started the season red-hot with a 3-0 record but they've now lost four in a row and are below .500.
Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold was benched in their deflating loss to the New York Giants in Week 7 and it has become somewhat apparent that Carolina doesn't view him as the long term answer at the position. Even after acquiring Darnold from the New York Jets in the offseason, the Watson rumors always linked Carolina as a potential suitor. While there may have been some truth behind those reports, they now appear to be moving on.
What exactly this means for the Panthers and a long term solution at quarterback is yet to be seen. What's most likely to happen is that they play out the rest of this season with Darnold and see how things go and then reevaluate the matter in the offseason.
It looks as though Watson will be headed elsewhere but it won't be to the Panthers.
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