Mr. Scot

I don't think Rhule wanted the job of developing a QB. He preferred to go with veterans that were already "finished products" so to speak. Unfortunately for him, his evaluation of those finished products sucked.

It didn't. Several paragraphs were left out (mostly with stuff we already knew). Splitting it up in parts is to make it easier to read and comment on items within. Consider it a service to the "TL/DR" crowd.

Making it easier for people to see and read in parts rather than trying to digest the whole.

Final words... In a jubilant scene inside the home locker room after the Bucs win, Wilks presented Walker -- who had never started consecutive games amid the Panthers' quarterback chaos, until now -- with a game ball. As the team prepared to retreat to their lockers, players and staff parted and Tepper, clad in a black zip-up jacket over a Panthers "Intercept Cancer" T-shirt, and wearing a light blue-and-black official team cap, stepped forward and presented Wilks a game ball of his own. "This is for you, brother," Tepper said. An emotional Wilks cradled the ball in one arm and embraced players with the other. The moment felt profoundly like a highlight of Tepper's four-year reign of ownership. Notably, the jubilation did not feel routine.

Fitterer's position... Multiple front office sources with rival teams say they believe Fitterer and his well-respected core staff will remain intact, seemingly giving Carolina a strong basis from which to rebuild the team. But so much still hinges on what Tepper does with the head coach vacancy, a move that will undoubtedly inform the team's future at the quarterback position and beyond. If the next coach is part of a collective on key decisions instead of being given full personnel control, the outcome could be different, including at quarterback. Whether Tepper views that structure as a core piece of the organization's struggles, or whether he simply believes he picked the wrong coach, remains unknown. Tepper told reporters at a news conference the day of the Rhule firing that "a balance is more appropriate between a head coach and a GM." At the very least, he appears open to a shift in setup.

The immediate future... The quarterback slate will have been mostly wiped clean, with the possibilities seemingly endless entering a crucial year for Carolina franchise trajectory. Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Kentucky's Will Levis, Florida's Anthony Richardson and Tennessee's Hendon Hooker highlight a loaded quarterback class ahead of the 2023 draft, and at 2-5, Carolina figures to be in position to land a talented quarterback, or to move up in the draft to fuel the pursuit. After the way the organization has struck out on veteran QBs, most educated league observers believe the team's preference is to upgrade the position through the draft. With the Nov. 1 trade deadline looming, Fitterer and the Panthers acquired additional draft capital by trading McCaffrey to the 49ers for second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-round picks on Oct. 20. Linebacker Shaq Thompson and others are also believed to be on the trading block for a team now in the midst of a clear rebuild. In addition to targeting a QB in the draft, the Panthers might consider signing a veteran for competition and depth purposes, at a minimum.

Rhule's firing and the aftermath... The day after the 49ers loss, Rhule entered the team meeting room from a side door as coaches and players waited. He began by addressing hopes for that week's game against the Rams -- some players weren't sure where the message was headed, but there was a sense that closure was coming. Eventually, Rhule delivered the news that he had been let go, attempting to end his tenure on a positive note. He told his team how talented it was, and how he wished he could be there to see them grow and win. Players were not exactly shocked by the news. Rhule was widely considered a bright football coach but had his challenges in the locker room, with one player saying the building felt "heavy," and teammates didn't always feel like they could be themselves. Though a team source said he did a better job relating to players in his final year, Rhule was hard on his assistants and sometimes clashed with them as a result, according to multiple team sources. And of course, the offensive football was far from good. As Rhule began to leave, a prominent team member stepped up to address the reeling team in an attempt to galvanize and move forward. The franchise leader was the star running back McCaffrey. It was telling that in this moment leadership would come from neither a coach nor a quarterback. Ten days later, in a move signifying the organization's intention to reset, McCaffrey was dealt to the 49ers.

The beginning of the end... In a Week 1 reunion with the Cleveland Browns, Mayfield nearly rewarded Rhule's faith in him, playing well enough to rally the Panthers from a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit in a stretch that included an electrifying 75-yard touchdown pass to Robbie Anderson. As the clock ticked south of one minute to play, Carolina held a 24-23 lead, but could not hold on as a 58-yard Cade York field goal doomed the team to a 26-24 home loss. Three largely nondescript defeats would follow in the next four games. A winnable game on the road against a moderately talented Giants team in Week 2 turned into a 19-16 loss when Mayfield posted a 13.8 QBR on 145 yards passing. A three-game homestand would follow and would play out as Rhule's version of Waterloo. A shaky 22-14 win over the Saints kept the wolves at bay, but produced few passing game highlights apart from a 67-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield to Laviska Shenault Jr. It would get uglier. Mayfield committed three turnovers and was loudly booed throughout the second half of a 26-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, finishing the game in a mostly empty Bank of America Stadium. "I don't care about the fact that our fans are booing, or what's going on," Mayfield said afterward. "When we figure it out and we win, it's still going to be just us in the locker room -- and that's all we care about." Then came the final, fateful final loss to the 49ers, a game in which a healthy Garoppolo thoroughly outplayed his opposite QB number. Again, Mayfield was booed by an increasingly frustrated Panthers fan base, which by the end was outnumbered by 49ers fans. The Panthers knew Mayfield had limited time to learn the playbook, and he proved to be a quick learner. But they were surprised by the accuracy issues of a player Rhule considered a difference-maker. As a front office source said, Rhule believed he had built a good team and that Mayfield would "stabilize the quarterback position" -- hopefully once and for all. That the move didn't yield results sealed the coach's fate.

The Mayfield deal and the "competition"... Meanwhile, Watson's presence in Cleveland had rendered former No. 1 pick Mayfield available, and Carolina had been widely viewed among the logical matches for Mayfield's services. Talks between the two sides began before the draft, but on the second night of the event, Fitterer notified Browns GM Andrew Berry that the Panthers needed to hit pause, realizing they wouldn't bridge the financial gap on Mayfield's contract. Tepper insisted on getting a "great deal" on Mayfield's $18.8 million, fully guaranteed fifth-year option, which a source with direct knowledge of the negotiations believed was due to the financial strain of Darnold's salary. A team source added that Tepper valued "checks and balances," particularly on assets considered depressed. One source with direct knowledge of the deal said Mayfield was, at one point, asked about potentially relinquishing about $7 million of his $18.8 million (coincidentally, the same figure as Darnold's), a nonstarter with the player. By early July, Mayfield's camp had grown restless. While Rhule strongly endorsed acquiring Mayfield, a team source said multiple people in the building weren't thrilled with the move. Fitterer was open to it, a front office source said, and also supported the team's third-round selection of Matt Corral, a quick-trigger QB out of Ole Miss, in the 2022 draft. Tepper gave all parties involved a July 5 deadline to finalize a deal. Everyone was on vacation -- Mayfield's agent, Thomas Mills, in Wisconsin, and Fitterer in The Hamptons for his wedding anniversary -- but worked through texts and calls in order to arrive at a deal. Ultimately, Mayfield agreed to relinquish part of his guarantee -- the Browns would pay $10.5 million, the Panthers $4.858 million plus incentives. A deal had been struck, but precious time had been lost in getting Mayfield ready for 2022. The continued presence of Darnold, who some team sources believed competed admirably with Mayfield in camp before suffering a high ankle sprain in the preseason, only enhanced the tension. (Darnold's $18.858 million cap number remains the highest on the team for 2022.) Even though multiple sources agree Mayfield pulled away in the competition late in the preseason, those same sources were skeptical as to whether Rhule truly considered an option other than the team's latest acquisition. "It felt like [Rhule's] plan was anyone but Sam at QB," a team source said.

Other considerations... The Panthers got back to work on QB options, evaluating free agents Marcus Mariota and Mitch Trubisky, the latter a former college star at North Carolina. Front office sources say Fitterer liked Trubisky to compete with Darnold for the starting job, but Trubisky eventually signed a two-year, $14.285 million deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers -- which offered a clearer path to a starting job. Former Super Bowl starter Jimmy Garoppolo, who had been granted permission to pursue a trade from the San Francisco 49ers, was also available. Garoppolo led the Niners to the NFC Championship in 2021, but a source close to the quarterback said the Panthers never had extended dialogue with Garoppolo's representatives. Carolina had concerns about when Garoppolo would be ready to participate in camp, a front office source said, as he recovered from offseason shoulder surgery. Matt Ryan, who was being shopped by the Falcons, was briefly discussed but per a front office source, the Panthers thought it unlikely Atlanta would move him within the division.

What killed the Watson trade... But the allegations didn't end the Panthers' pursuit as Rhule, Fitterer and Tepper plotted ways to land the former Clemson star. Watson was scheduled to meet with four teams -- the Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and Cleveland Browns -- shortly after a grand jury declined to pursue criminal charges against him in March 2022. A source close to Watson said the quarterback thought "super highly of" the Panthers after a meeting with Tepper, Rhule and Fitterer. On the day Watson agreed to a trade to Cleveland that included a market-shattering, fully guaranteed deal of $230 million, ESPN reported the Panthers had balked at Watson's demand for the full guarantee. A source close to Watson says that doesn't tell the whole story. Carolina was not Watson's first choice, though the Panthers were heavily in the mix at the end. Also, the notion throughout the league that Rhule was on the hot seat was a concern. "The uncertainty with the coaching staff was a factor," the source said.

Newton, and a confirmation of something many suspected... Even before Darnold's injury, one former member of Rhule's staff noted how the organization's support of the quarterback grew increasingly tepid, and reports about a possible quarterback change were not firmly dismissed. "A quarterback has to feel like he's the most important guy in the building, and I don't think those guys ever felt that way," said the staff member of the benched quarterbacks. "They [Rhule and the Panthers] were always looking for something better. Zero patience." "Something better" was in the eye of the beholder, and following Darnold's injury the gaze would become fixed on Newton, the former No. 1 overall pick who had led the Panthers to Super Bowl 50 in 2015. Newton had been released by the New England Patriots, with the shoulder injury suffered in the final year of his first stint in Carolina causing him to lose much of the zip on his throws. Rhule hadn't wanted Newton two years earlier, but the Panthers had limited options and hoped his leadership would help a young team. While team sources say Newton was an ideal teammate and "worked his ass off" to master the offense, the Panthers would go 0-5 with him as the starter. Darnold would be back behind center before the end of a 5-12 season that placed the entire organization in the crosshairs entering 2022.

Confirming something we'd already heard elsewhere... Tepper had a predilection for tracking social media mentions and media reports on his team, multiple sources said. One front office source described his approach as "stream of consciousness," unafraid to vent to confidantes about his frustrations with the team -- including quarterback play.

The fifth year option... Fitterer's logic on the option, per a front office source, was this: The two-year payout would be reasonable, considering Darnold's $4.7 million due in 2021, and he'd be much more expensive if he lit up the field that season. Tepper, per a team source, questioned placing that value on Darnold so early in his relationship with the team but "reluctantly" approved, a source with direct knowledge of the negotiations said. For a moment, it appeared Carolina had pushed the right buttons. Darnold started his Panthers career with a victory over the Jets, and the team won its next two games to push Carolina to 3-0 for the first time in six years. It would represent the high point of the Rhule era. The team would lose five of its next six games, a stretch that saw Darnold throw four touchdown passes to 10 interceptions before injuring his throwing shoulder. The Panthers' subpar offensive line and running back Christian McCaffrey's Week 3 injury contributed to Darnold's struggles. But the New York version of Darnold, hiding under the surface, finally bubbled. "It went from a decent setup to WTF," said a team source of the offense's descent. As the losses mounted, Tepper's blood boiled, with one front office source describing him as "furious" over the way Darnold's fifth-year option hung over the franchise. (A source close to the owner said the "furious" characterization was too strong).

Darnold... Weeks after that evaluation session, Rhule sent a group text to his coaches indicating the team was about to trade for Darnold and requesting to keep the intel private. The idea to trade for Darnold had begun with Rhule, who a front office source said popped into Fitterer's office after a defensive staff meeting to ask what the GM thought of the possibility. Fitterer scouted Darnold while with the Seahawks and was intrigued by the former USC star's arm and escapability. The Panthers thought a change in scenery could help Darnold, a chance to pair with Joe Brady aiding Darnold's growth. People inside the building had different interpretations for how Rhule, who did not respond to multiple requests to be interviewed for this story, handled personnel decisions. One team source said Rhule preferred to reach consensus with Fitterer before taking a plan to Tepper, describing the process as "collaborative." That differs from another team source, who said Rhule's leadership style was to "wear everybody out" until he got his way, even in big groups, and sometimes operated impulsively. In this case, Rhule was willing to overlook Darnold's well-documented problems with turnovers and accuracy. "It was Darnold, Darnold, Darnold [for Rhule] that offseason," a front office source said.

The Stafford deal... Just weeks into the job, Fitterer almost pulled off a massive coup, working the phones with Lions general manager Brad Holmes to try to secure Stafford via trade, then meeting with Holmes' staff in Mobile, Alabama, during Senior Bowl week in January. The Panthers made a compelling offer for Stafford that included the eighth overall pick in that year's draft. Fitterer and Holmes talked on the field pregame and were close on a deal, per a Carolina front office source, with the Lions sending over medical records of Stafford's previous back injury. Multiple Carolina assistant coaches say they boarded the team plane at the conclusion of the Senior Bowl thinking they had gotten Stafford. By the time they landed in Charlotte, word had leaked that Stafford was bound for the Los Angeles Rams. Fitterer called Holmes, who apologized and said the L.A. deal came together quickly.

Tepper's adjustment to the football world... In the winter of 2021, less than three years into his tenure, Tepper was discovering success in pro football was more elusive. Teams were lucky to hit on three picks in the draft. Free agent acquisitions sometimes didn't work out. The reality didn't sit well with Tepper, according to a front office source. "He expects football guys to be 100% right, like they are evaluating a balance sheet, and sometimes they are flat-out wrong," the source said.

Bridgewater... By the time the draft arrived, Carolina had already executed on a QB plan that team sources say started and ended with veteran Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater, who had worked with new Carolina offensive coordinator Joe Brady when he was a Saints offensive assistant in 2018, had played well in a five-game stretch relieving injured starter Drew Brees in 2019 and was an unrestricted free agent. Competition for Bridgewater's free agent services was fierce, and despite the presence of both Tom Brady and former NC State star Philip Rivers in the free agent market, the Panthers were fixated on Bridgewater. He was considered a prime option for Tampa Bay if the Bucs struck out on Brady. As they did with Rhule's deal, the Panthers aggressively secured Bridgewater with a three-year, $63-million contract. Signing Bridgewater was viewed within the industry and within the team as a sensible move, a bridge to a long-term solution, allowing the offense to function in a transitional year while rebuilding other areas of the team through the draft. The faction of the organization that was against drafting Herbert received what might have seemed like vindication in Week 3 of the 2020 season, when Bridgewater and the Panthers defeated Herbert and the Chargers in Los Angeles -- Rhule's first NFL win. But behind the scenes, a few of the scouts that had pushed for Herbert squirmed as they watched the 22-year-old throw for 330 yards, showing the poise and command of an offense they believed could have stabilized the position for a decade or more. Even as Carolina celebrated the win, one scout remembers texting another: "Man, we were right." Herbert would win NFL Rookie of the Year. Bridgewater would win four more games before being traded to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a sixth-round draft choice on the eve of the 2021 draft, earning $31 million for one season in Carolina -- $24 million during the season and another $7 million to go away.

Herbert... A scouting department source said it ranked LSU's Joe Burrow the top quarterback in the draft, with Oregon's Justin Herbert a close second and Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa third. Longtime NFL scout Donnie Warren, who was let go by Carolina before that year's draft and joined Ron Rivera in Washington for two years before retiring, confirmed Hurney "loved" Herbert and mentioned numerous times that he was high on his potential. "[Rhule] knew where we stood, that this [draft] was a chance to get a long-term solution at the position," the scouting source said. "Not having a full evaluation process and staff meetings due to COVID could have affected that process. We weren't meeting in person." The scouting department did enough legwork on Herbert to know the other teams that might also be in pursuit. There was a sense of what it would take to move from their No. 7 selection to the New York Giants' spot at No. 4, jumping the Miami Dolphins (No. 5) and Los Angeles Chargers (No. 6), who were believed to be locked on quarterbacks. Then-Giants general manager Dave Gettleman was a longtime Panthers executive with existing relationships in the building. A trade seemed plausible, but would not be pursued. Though Carolina's scouts wanted Herbert, a Panthers front office source said there was concern that trading draft capital to make it happen could hurt other areas of the team.

Summing up the disaster... The ousted Rhule and fourth-year Panthers owner David Tepper have shouldered much of the blame for the franchise's downturn, and all threads of Carolina's unraveling lead back to the choices made at one position -- quarterback. The Panthers' instability and dubious decision-making, which sometimes included disagreements among ownership, the coaching staff and front office, highlight the direct connection between quarterback play and franchise strength. In all, five quarterbacks started for Rhule -- the coach handpicked by Tepper in January 2020 and given control of the roster along with a seven-year, $62 million contract -- a revolving door reflecting organizational efforts to locate a top passer that ultimately failed. "They shot for the stars," a veteran NFL coach and former Rhule staffer said. "They ended up with Teddy [Bridgewater], Sam [Darnold] and Baker." Those with inside knowledge of the Panthers' three-season signal-caller saga paint a picture of bad deals, for the wrong quarterbacks, decided upon in large part by Rhule -- who proved to be the wrong coach.

Opening paragraphs regarding the tone of practice the week before Rhule was fired... In the final week of Matt Rhule's 33-month tenure as a first-time NFL head coach, his Carolina Panthers took the practice field situated in the shadow of Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium for what should have been routine 7-on-7 work. Routine would have been good. This was something worse, a scene of uninspired football borne partially if not totally of harsh roster realities. Overthrown passes. Turnovers. Mistimed routes. Rhule and his coaching staff looked on, standing oddly quiet. Panthers players appeared restless, the stress of a bad start palpable and "very heavy," as a team source described. Perhaps, in the grim prelude to a 37-15 home loss to the San Francisco 49ers that would send Carolina to 1-4 before a sea of empty seats, the entire organization had become resigned to its fate. This team can't win without a quarterback.

I do. I'll post some excerpts...

Traded up to get him... Would have been our first round pick had Burns not fallen to us... Oy

Side Note...

Okay that was funny