Panthers running back Mike Davis is about to become a free agent in a few hours, as will wide receiver Curtis Samuel. Those two and starting left tackle Russell Okung are Carolina’s most important offensive players that are about to hit the open market now that right tackle Taylor Moton has signed his franchise tag.
Yesterday, Davis shared a tweet by Field Yates at ESPN extolling what Samuel offers with a “PAY THE MAN” attached.
PAY THE MAN https://t.co/oyN1xEUCbV
— IG MikeDavisRB (@MikeDavisRB) March 17, 2021
The wide receiver market has been slow and often described as “soft.” That’s likely related to Kenny Golladay of the Lions still being available – he’s expected to reset the market at the position. Once Galladay signs, second-tier free-agent receivers like Samuel will follow soon after.
So, how much is he worth? According to Spotrac, Samuel’s market value is $12.4 million per year.
The Panthers should make every effort to re-sign him, even if the annual dollar figure is a little higher than that.
If they don’t, destinations that would make sense for Samuel include the Giants (their GM Dave Gettleman drafted him in Carolina), Washington (the Ron Rivera connection) and the Patriots, who have Cam Newton and are already engaged in a historic free-agent shopping spree.
