Former Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin Aiming to Make NFL Comeback
It’s been three years since we last saw Kelvin Benjamin play in the National Football League but that drought may soon be coming to an end.
According to Jordan Raanan of ESPN, Benjamin is expected to tryout for the New York Giants this weekend.
Benjamin was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 1st round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Florida State. As a rookie, Benjamin immediately became Cam Newton’s go-to target and ended the season with 73 receptions for 1,008 yards, and nine touchdowns. Unfortunately, Benjamin’s level of production declined over the next two years and in October of 2017, the Panthers traded him to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a 3rd & 7th round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Benjamin and Newton didn’t have the greatest of relationships and once Benjamin was dealt to Buffalo, he made a surprising comment in an article from The Athletic about Cam that didn’t sit well with a lot of folks.
“Truly, I think Carolina was bad for me. It was a bad fit from the get-go. If you would’ve put me with another quarterback...let’s be real, you know what I’m saying? Any other accurate quarterback like [Aaron] Rodgers or Eli Manning or Big Ben [Roethlisberger] — anybody! — quarterbacks with knowledge, that know how to place a ball and give you a better chance to catch the ball. It just felt like I wasn’t in that position.”
Newton confronted Benjamin during warmups of a Bills-Panthers preseason game the following season.
Sure, Benjamin and the Panthers may have not been the perfect match but the 30-year-old receiver still has the ability to play the game and deserves another chance in the league. It just so happens that the GM that drafted him in Carolina, Dave Gettleman, is now the GM of the Giants.
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