The Carolina Panthers have wanted to upgrade from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater since the end of last season, so it wasn't too surprising to see the franchise put words into action by trading for Sam Darnold earlier this week.
But is the former Jets quarterback in fact an upgrade over Bridgewater, or should the league view this deal as more of a lateral move?
WFNZ sports radio host Chris McClain is reluctant to call this trade a win for Carolina.
"I'm skeptical, personally, about the Darnold move," McClain told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Wednesday. "I understand what they're doing here. It's been described as taking a flier on somebody that we know has the arm talent that got him drafted third overall a few years back. I know the Jets factor -- I know he's got the Jets dragging him down, Adam Gase and that supporting cast dragging him down -- but man, his performance was so rough. It's just hard for me to see him being even a huge upgrade over Teddy Bridgewater, to be honest with you. I wonder if they would've been better off waiting and kind of seeing how the draft played out, and not rushing into this Darnold move before the draft...
"And they gave up a [2022] second-round pick, too. They originally reportedly were offering only a fourth. They ended up throwing in that second-round pick as well. I'm skeptical as to whether this ends up paying off. But I see what they're doing. They're trying to take a shot, a little gamble on a guy who does have talent."
In return for Darnold, who was selected third overall in 2018, the Jets received three draft picks from the Panthers: a sixth-rounder in this year's draft and a second-rounder and fourth-rounder in 2022.
Darnold's tenure in New York was far from successful. In three seasons -- while lacking quality receivers, a stable offensive line, and a competent coaching staff -- he went just 13-25 as a starter, with 8,097 total passing yards, 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions. He also finished the 2020 season as the NFL's lowest-rated passer (72.7), and his career passer rating of 78.6 ranks 39th out of 39 qualifying quarterbacks since 2018.
On top that, the 23-year-old also endured injury. He missed three games as a rookie due to a sprained foot, three games in 2019 because of mononucleosis, and four games in 2020 with a sprained throwing shoulder.
While it's fair to speculate on whether Darnold will perform like a franchise quarterback in Carolina, McClain believes the Panthers will give him opportunities to progress.
"I think it's definitely going to be Darnold [as the starter in 2021]," McClain said. "They're trying to trade Teddy Bridgewater. There were reports yesterday that they gave Teddy's agent the go-ahead, 'Hey, go out there and find a trade.' But I don't know how that's going to work out. They've been trying on their own for a few weeks now to trade Teddy Bridgewater, to no avail. He's got a contract where his base salary is $17 million for this coming year, and teams are not in a hurry to necessarily commit to Teddy after the year he had, after they heard the Panthers bad-mouth him. I'm sure that didn't help his trade value...
"They clearly want to move on from Teddy Bridgewater. But you've got to have someone take him in, and that's the stage they're at right now... As a Panthers fan, I was frustrated with the way Teddy played. But for them to make it so clear that we are so unhappy with him, that can't be the best way to trade somebody. I don't think that's helped the situation."
Bridgewater started 15 games last season, and threw for 3,733 yards with 15 touchdowns, five rushing scores, and 11 interceptions. While Bridgewater's numbers don't look too bad on the surface, he was unable to deliver in crunch-time moments. He went 0-8 in games in which he had the ball during the final possession with a chance to tie or win.
According to Spotrac.com, Darnold is entering the fourth year of his rookie contract with a total cap hit of $4.7 million. If Carolina wants to keep him for the 2022 season, they'll have to exercise his fifth-year option at $18.8 million by early May.
The entire Panthers conversation between McClain and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.