Robby Anderson’s debut season in Carolina was everything the Panthers had hoped for and more, delivering 95 catches (10th-most in the NFL) for a career-high 1,096 yards and three touchdowns. On the heels of his breakout 2020, Anderson—who is entering the final year of a two-year, $20-million contract—is reportedly nearing a lucrative long-term deal with the Panthers that would keep him in Charlotte for the foreseeable future. Beat reporter Joseph Person of The Athletic expects Anderson’s inevitable extension to be announced in the “next several days.”
Undrafted out of Temple (where he played under current Panthers coach Matt Rhule), Anderson got off to a blistering start last season, eclipsing 90 yards in four of his first five games. The 6’3” deep threat will now be reunited with former Jets teammate Sam Darnold, who the Panthers acquired for a trio of picks including second and fourth-rounders in next year’s draft.
Though he never quite put it altogether, Anderson showed promise during his four-year stint in East Rutherford (not far from where he grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey), leading the Jets in both touchdowns (seven) and receiving yards (941) in 2017. Anderson’s time with the Jets was not without controversy, however, as the 28-year-old was arrested for two separate incidents in Florida, though neither resulted in league discipline.
While seeing Anderson succeed elsewhere must be frustrating for Jets fans, New York should benefit from a much-improved receiving corps in 2021 headlined by newcomers Keelan Cole, former Titans first-round pick Corey Davis and exciting rookie Elijah Moore, whose 1,193 FBS receiving yards last year ranked second to only Heisman winner DeVonta Smith. Barring injury, Anderson should again be a valuable contributor to a deep Carolina pass-catching unit featuring D.J. Moore, LSU standout Terrace Marshall and Christian McCaffrey, who reigns as one of just three players ever to log 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season, doing so in 2019.
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