The Panthers’ social media team is on an absolute tear right now. First, they knocked it out of the park by resurrecting ESPN’s iconic Sam Darnold meme. That museum-worthy gem, posted to the team’s Twitter account mere moments after Darnold’s trade was announced, drew universal acclaim, netting over 8,000 retweets and another 45,000 likes.
But that was just a side dish, a little pick-me-up before Tuesday’s main course. What followed was an all-time heat check, a glorious, Steph Curry swish from the center-court logo. Flexing their considerable social media muscle, the Panthers unveiled their magnum opus Tuesday, a star-studded hype video featuring a tuxedo-wearing Leonardo DiCaprio, Seth Rogen (portraying a winded Officer Michaels, still catching his breath from chasing Michael Cera in the 2007 comedy Superbad), Jason Bateman as gum-chomping dodgeball announcer Pepper Brooks and a MUCH-older-than-23-years-old Zach Galifianakis, among other celebrity cameos. The minute-long clip also includes soundbites from Robby Anderson (finally reunited with Darnold after a year apart), Mel Kiper Jr. and Joe Buck, the latter marveling at Darnold’s 46-yard touchdown burst against Denver last season. Hell, there’s even an NBA Top Shot reference for the crypto crowd.
Darnold’s first three seasons in the league weren’t anything to write home about, though remember, the USC alum is still just 23 and never had much to work with in New York, slumming it with a dismal supporting cast and even worse coaching. A fresh start in Carolina under offensive coordinator Joe Brady, best known for elevating Joe Burrow to Heisman status at LSU, could be just the jolt Darnold (who looks thrilled to be a Panther) needs to jumpstart his stagnant career. Meanwhile, back in the Big Apple, the rebuilding Jets seem poised to draft a quarterback with the new Robert Saleh regime reportedly preferring BYU’s Zach Wilson for the second overall pick.
Even if the Panthers’ Darnold experiment flops, at least we’ll get some good tweets out of it.
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