Curtis Samuel is Making Himself a Bunch of Money in Contract Year

Most of the attention this year on the Carolina Panthers' offense has been centered around the play of Robby Anderson who has played lights out in his first year with the team. He and DJ Moore are the NFL's leading receiving duo, but don't forget about fourth year receiver Curtis Samuel.

Over the last two games, Samuel has proven to be the playmaker everyone thought he would be when the Panthers drafted him back in 2017. In those two games, he has caught 13 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 36 yards and one touchdown on six carries. He has come up big in important situations and has consistently been Teddy Bridgewater's favorite target on 3rd down.

With Samuel in the last year of his rookie contract, the back half of this season is going to be extremely important for him as he will hope to continue to win over the Panthers' new coaching staff and front office for a second contract with the franchise.

Samuel has been the team's Swiss Army Knife by being able to do a little bit of everything. Whether it be lining up in the slot, on the outside, or even in the backfield at running back, he has played at a high level no matter where he plays. His value continues to increase week after week to the point where the question won't be if the Panthers want to extend him, but how much they are willing to pay him.

Is Samuel ever going to be a go-to guy in the Panthers' offense where he's racking up 100-yard games like it's nobody's business? Probably not, but he's certainly a weapon that you want to have moving forward with this rebuild. He's proven time and time again this season that he can be reliable in clutch moments and you need to have a guy like that for your offense to be successful. He and Bridgewater have developed a strong chemistry and it's really shown over the last handful of weeks. If he continues at this pace, the Panthers will have no choice but to re-sign him.

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