But what if Carolina finds a suitable option via trade?
Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo remain available via trade, though the Panthers haven’t indicated they’re interested in either player.
“Haven’t had any conversations recently with teams about that,” Fitterer said. “I think we’ll explore every option, whether it’s the draft or trades. It’s just, the team’s gotta call you and nobody’s called us recently about that.”
The Panthers could, of course, initiate such discussions by picking up the phone and placing a call to San Francisco or Cleveland. It seems they’re content with waiting for one of those clubs (or others) to dial them, though, lessening the chance they’ll make a move prior to the draft.
As for those who played for the Panthers in 2021, Carolina doesn’t seem very committed to any of them — including Cam Newton.
“Matt’s talked to Cam. So I’ve reached out a couple times. Matt talked to him,” Fitterer said. “The thing with Cam, it’s gotta be a fit for us and it’s gotta be a fit for him, just as well. He’s looking for a certain opportunity. The door’s still open for us. We’re very open to Cam, we’ll see where it goes. He knows where we stand. I think he and Matt had a very good conversation, from my understanding. And so, yeah, we’ll just see where it goes.”
Darnold seems to be on slightly firmer footing with the Panthers’ front office, but not by much. He can safely expect to be pushed by competition brought in from outside the organization — if he’s still with the team by the time training camp arrives.
“Yes, Sam’s on the roster. As I sit here right now, he’s on the roster,” Fitterer said. “He’s in the lead for that job. We want him to take it and run with it. But we’re gonna add a lot of competition to that room. The whole emphasis is to stabilize that quarterback positions and playing winning football, and that’s what we’re working towards.”
There’s plenty still left to figure out in Charlotte, but if we learned anything from Friday’s presser, it’s that the Panthers are confident with where they stand at just about every position except quarterback, a position they want to “stabilize” in 2022.
“Our whole goal is to win the NFC South every year. We want to compete every year,” Fitterer said. “And I think that’s the mindset we take. I think we’re two steps closer this year, not just one step, I think we’re two steps closer to really competing for this NFC South. With all the guys that we brought in, I think we’re right there.
“If we can get the quarterback position stabilized, we’re going to be competing for it.”