5 NFL players who should demand a trade following free agency

3. Curtis Samuel

Curtis Samuel was greatly underutilized last season with the Carolina Panthers. The second-year, speedy wideout was a vertical threat in the passing game and deployed on end-arounds and sweeps to get him in motion. Whenever he had the ball in his hands, he was a nightmare to tackle.

However, the poor quarterback play provided by Cam Newton and Kyle Allen caused Samuel’s statistics to suffer. Samuel caught 54 of 105 targets for 627 yards and six touchdowns in 2019; he also added 19 carries for 130 yards and one touchdown on the ground. Yet, he had a catchable target rate of 62.6 percent and a target quality rating of 4.2, which ranked 101st and 105th respectively among wide receivers.

During free agency, Samuel’s situation has only gotten worse. The Panthers signed Teddy Bridgewater to a three-year, $63 million deal, signifying him as the incumbent for the 2020 season. Bridgewater’s skill set does not correlate with Samuel’s talents, as the former Saints quarterback is a low-volume, efficient passer who does not throw deep passes. Last season, Bridgewater attempted only 1.7 passes of 20 or more yards per game.

Carolina also signed Robby Anderson to a two-year, $20 million deal to be the WR2 in their offense. Anderson has a similar skillset to Samuel, as they are both vertical threats utilized on deep passes and quick slant routes. Anderson will likely supplant Samuel for the starting slot opposite of D.J. Moore and relegate the former Ohio State product to the bench.

Samuel has the talent and pedigree to be a viable starting receiver elsewhere. If he stays in Carolina, his production will suffer and other teams will see him as nothing more than a gadget player. He should demand a trade to a destination where he will see greater opportunity for playing time and targets.