Some quick hitters from around the NFC South and the rest of the NFL for the middle of your week.
A lot of stuff happens in the NFL world week to week, and if you’re not paying attention or just locked in on the Carolina Panthers, it’s easy to miss some goings on happening elsewhere. We’ll use Wednesdays during the regular season to provide some quick hitters on things happening in the rest of the NFC South and the NFL with a little bit of a Panthers spin where warranted. That said, it’s slow right now. It’s the calm before the storm, you see. Either way, we’ll start with the NFC South, and let’s dive right in.
NFC South
Falcons add Nathan Peterman to practice squad
Atlanta overhauled their quarterback position this offseason, signing Kirk Cousins and surprisingly drafting Michael Penix in the first round of the NFL Draft. Last year’s primary starter Desmond Ridder was traded to the Cardinals (who cut him), while the other guy, Taylor Heinicke (remember him?) was traded to the Chargers. The team went out and got Peterman to serve as the team’s emergency third string quarterback, and they will cross all of their fingers that he’ll never have to play.
The Saints are starting the season without a reworked deal for Alvin Kamara
The longtime star running back for the Saints seems to be on the downside of his career, but he’s currently set to count $18.5 million against the cap this season and $29 million against the cap in 2025. The two sides haven’t been able to come to a deal and likely won’t continue the conversations into the regular season. The Saints would save roughly $19 million by releasing Kamara next offseason, so there’s a very real chance this is the last season the Panthers have to face him in black and gold.
NFL
Patrick Surtain is the new highest paid cornerback
Surtain has been one of the best cover corners in the NFL the last couple of seasons, so it’s no surprise that he got a bag before there was any danger of him entering free agency. His extension is for $96 million over four years with $77.5 million guaranteed. The Panthers selected Jaycee Horn one pick before Surtain, and while Horn is a very good player in his own right, he hasn’t been able to stay healthy for long enough to make a similar impact. Still, if the Panthers intend to keep Horn around, Surtain’s new contract adds another reference point.
Former Panther Haason Reddick is holding out from a team that just acquired him
The Panthers elected to let Haason Reddick walk in free agency after an 11 sack season in 2021, much to the chagrin of Panthers fans. He went on to sign with the Eagles, where he tallied 27 sacks in two seasons there. Still, the Eagles, much like the Panthers, felt they were fine without Reddick’s services and traded him to the Jets. Reddick arrived in New York and has only showed up for his introductory news conference. He’s been holding out in hopes of getting a new contract and eventually demanded (another) trade, and the Jets aren’t interested in either. It’s an interesting situation and maybe sheds a little bit of light onto why teams aren’t keen to hold onto the guy even after highly productive seasons.