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It was widely believed the Carolina Panthers franchise had hit rock bottom last December when the team’s thin-skinned, irascible owner – liberal billionaire David Tepper – threw a drink at several Jacksonville fans during the team’s 26-0 loss to the Jaguars at EverBank Stadium.
“Just how low can the Panthers go?” I wondered at the time. “As long as Tepper is running the team, that’s a question Carolina fans should probably get used to asking … although based on what happened in Jacksonville I’d probably refrain from using the ‘hold my beer’ punchline.”
To recap: Since purchasing the Panthers in 2018 Tepper has fired three coaches, run off the best player in the league (Christian McCaffrey) and alienated half of his team’s fan base in the Carolinas. This offseason, Tepper sought to radically reinvent his moribund organization, hiring a new general manager, a new head coach and opening his wallet to bring in tons of new players.
Obviously, Tepper remains the same crony capitalist he’s always been… but the overhaul of his front office, sideline staff and on-field talent would surely pay dividends, right?
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Through two games, Carolina has actually looked worse in 2024 – something no one thought was possible. In fact, Sunday’s humiliating 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers (coupled with the New York Jets’ 24-17 win over the Tennessee Titans) put Tepper in a uniquely pathetic spot.
Since 2018, no team has lost more games than the Panthers.
Under Tepper’s “leadership,” the Panthers have posted an abysmal 31-70 (.307) record – failing to reach the playoffs or secure a winning season since he bought the team. Conversely, in the five years before Tepper bought the team, the Panthers went 54-31-1 (.621) – reaching the playoffs four times and making it to Super Bowl 50.
The declining trajectory of the franchise led to this week’s historic decision to bench starting quarterback Bryce Young – the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft – for veteran Andy Dalton. I say “historic” because since 1967 – the first year of the modern NFL draft – no No. 1 pick has ever been benched for non-injury reasons.
That would be significant in a vacuum, but it’s incredibly noteworthy given what the Panthers gave up in order to acquire Young less than a year-and-a-half ago.
I’ve previously written that Tepper mortgaged his franchise’s future to land the former Alabama quarterback – giving the Chicago Bears the team’s first-round pick in 2023 (No. 9 overall), their second round pick that same year, their first round pick in 2024 (which wound up being the No. 1 overall selection) and their second round pick in next year’s draft.
Chicago landed two starters – offensive tackle Darnell Wright and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson – with those 2023 picks and got Southern Cal Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Caleb Williams with this year’s top pick.
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Williams, incidentally, ranked No. 6 on a recent list of the top quarterback prospects ever – behind only Andrew Luck, John Elway, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Trevor Lawrence. Young, incidentally, did not appear on that list.
Oh, the Young trade also gave Chicago standout wide receiver DJ Moore – who has racked up more than 1,400 yards in nineteen games with the Bears (and figures to be a top target for Williams as he learns the ropes in the NFL).
Had Carolina chosen C.J. Stroud in last year’s draft, such a trade might have been worth it. Stroud, who was selected by the Houston Texans No. 2 overall (right behind Young), won offensive rookie of the year honors en route to leading his team to the AFC divisional playoff round. He was rumored to be the preferred choice of former Panthers’ coach Frank Reich, although Reich has denied those reports.
As it stands now, though, the Panthers’ trade for Young is shaping up as one of the worst deals in the history of professional sports. And Young, barring a radical reorientation, is on track to become the biggest NFL draft bust in history.
Consider this: JaMarcus Russell – currently viewed as the biggest quarterback bust in NFL history – went 7-18 in his first 25 starts for the former Oakland Raiders, posting a 77.1 rating in his lone year as a starter. Young is 2-16 through his first 18 starts and posted a 73.7 rating during his first year under center.
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RELATED | ANOTHER PANTHERS’ BOONDOGGLE?
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Young’s benching also revealed the ongoing dysfunction – and inherent duplicity – of this Tepper-run franchise. Panthers’ head coach Dave Canales unequivocally stated following the Chargers’ loss that Young was the team’s quarterback – and that he would be starting Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Bryce is our quarterback,” he said.
Actually, he said that twice.
Less than 24 hours later, though, Canales pulled a 180° – surprising Young with the news he had been benched.
What prompted the change? Canales said his initial statements affirming Young as the starter for the Raiders game were made prior to watching film. Curiously, he refused to address speculation that Tepper was involved in the decision.
Can anyone trust anything coming from this franchise? Regular members of our audience will recall Tepper agreed to move the Panthers’ corporate headquarters (and practice facility) to Rock Hill in 2019, a deal hailed as the signature economic development of S.C. governor Henry McMaster. The agreement collapsed, however, and in 2022 Tepper’s holding company filed for bankruptcy in Delaware.
My media outlet opposed that deal from the beginning.
“This is a bad deal. Period,” I wrote in March of 2019. “South Carolina should pass on the Panthers … and tell Tepper that while he is welcome to locate in the Palmetto State, he is not going to get paid to bring (his team) here.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the owner and founding editor of FITSNews. Prior to founding his own news outlet, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina, bass guitarist in an alternative rock band and bouncer at a Columbia, S.C. dive bar. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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