Mr. Scot

Apparently still true, and almost sounds as if it's not gonna take a huge return...

Possible, but if the quarterback isn't part of the reason we're losing, I wouldn't necessarily look to replace him.

The NFL doesn't have a "turn off salary cap" option.

Don't know whether that was an option. He was there on the NFL's dime. Having the cameras on him may have been a condition.

Almost... McAdoo didn't arrive in Jacksonville until 2020. Foles was with the Jaguars in 2019 but went to the Bears the following year.

He went into draft day thinking he might be about to get a contract for over 27 million dollars. He's now more likely to get something around 5 million. Still potentially life changing, but a huge loss. Can't speak for Willis, but if I were going through that, the last thing I'd want is my face on national TV.

One other possibility: Since his role has been scaled back, I'm kind of wondering if longtime Panthers scouting guy Jeff Morrow is going to retire. (or leave for Washington)

Yikes

Case in point...

I tend to flip back and forth a little, but mostly watched NFL Network this year. ESPN's draft coverage appeals to me a lot less since they put Mike Greenberg in charge of it.

Basically the top guy when it comes to free agency (as opposed to college scouting).

Re: Colbert, worth remembering that Assistant GM Dan Morgan is one of yhe candidates to succeed him in Pittsburgh. No disrespect to Dan, but I really don't want to see that happen.

The way they talk about him doesn't make it sound like they view him as a backup.

My luck, I'd have been the guy stuck in a middle seat between them

It's mentioned every year but few people seem to pay attention: media analysts have zero in common with actual NFL team evaluations. The one mistake I think the NFL made though was inviting him to the Draft. They ended up making his slide a national media event with him front and center.

That'd be pretty heavily contingent on us not having any other big needs though.

Backup quarterbacks... Other people's food orders... Next year's draft class...

It's possible, or if not "successor" at least "interim".

Final word on Willis, and one of the smarter takes I've seen...

There are already mock drafts for 2023 up on draft sites. (this when mocks posted in February turned out useless)

Yeah, that's...not actually true. But either way, going by this year's hype train isn't exactly a reliable path.

This time last year, people were saying similar things about Spencer Rattler and Sam Howell.

It's the time of year for that sort of thing. Some speculation on that front... First off, we have an opening to fill. The Panthers parted ways with Pro Personnel Director (and Jerry Richardson grandson) Matt Allen. They'll want to fill that role, and one guy with both Scott Fitterer and Carolina Panthers connections who I'd love to see come aboard is Seattle personnel guy Trent Kirchner. Given his current title in Seattle though, I don't know if he's an option. Could also look to somebody from Dan Morgan's history since pro personnel is kind of this thing. Second, many of us have been coveting Kevin Colbert pretty much since David Tepper bought the team. With the draft finished, his Steelers contract is officially over, and he's made clear in recent months that he's "stepping down" as opposed to retiring. That could translate into a lesser role with the Steelers, or possibly a job with someone else. Could he come here in a consultant type role? Don't know, but I think it'd be great if he did. Kinda related to that, the news that Scott Fitterer has been given the go ahead to basically reshape the personnel department as he sees fit tells me that Tepper trusts him. He and Morgan both have connections to people I'd love to see part of the Panthers organization (Lake Dawson and the aforementioned Kirchner for example) so I'll be watching to see who they could bring in. For those interested in this sort of thing, Neal Stratton (@InsideTheLeague) is a good follow.

Agreed. It was a smart play.