The Panthers had a chance to take one of the top quarterback prospects in this class last night. Instead, they passed on Justin Fields and picked a shutdown cornerback. As if that move didn’t make it clear already, the team is now officially locked in with Sam Darnold for the next two seasons.
According to Tom Pelissero at NFL Network, the team has picked up Darnold’s fifth-year option.
The #Panthers picked up QB Sam Darnold's fifth-year option, as GM Scott Fitterer said they would after executing the trade.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 30, 2021
Darnold’s cap hit this year is a very reasonable $4,774,685. His fifth-year option will cost the Panthers some $18.9 million in 2022.
Carolina also picked up the fifth-year option for wide receiver D.J. Moore yesterday. That comes with a price tag of $11.116 million next year.
