There are a handful of local media members that you can rely on when it comes to reporting on the Carolina Panthers. One of them is veteran reporter Darin Gantt.
Gantt has been a part of Carolina sports media for over twenty years, going back to his time with The Charlotte Observer and The Herald. Currently on the Panthers’ official team website, Gantt continues to answer questions about the team and the organization itself. One question that Gantt was recently asked referred to the future of wide receiver DJ Moore.
Moore, who is going to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2022 season, may be the next player to get a long-term deal. If the deal comes to fruition, he will be the third Panther to receive a contract extension following right tackle Taylor Moton and fellow receiver Robby Anderson.
In his regular mailbag feature, Gantt seems pretty sure of the team’s plan for Moore.
“So the short answer is, ‘yes,’” wrote Gantt when asked if Carolina wants to extend Moore. “The longer answer is, ‘Oh my god, yes.’”
“And make no mistake, even after signing Anderson to a two-year extension which keeps him here through the 2023 season, and even after drafting the promising [Terrace] Marshall and Shi Smith, they absolutely want to keep Moore beyond his current deal,” he added.
Locking in the combination of DJ Moore and Robby Anderson, will make the Panthers’ passing game one of the more dangerous ones in the league for now and in the future. This is especially true with rookie Terrace Marshall, Shi Smith and all-purpose back Christian McCaffrey in the mix.
Owner David Tepper, general manager Scott Fitterer and head coach Matt Rhule are looking to cultivate the teams’ offense. A new deal for Moore would help bring back a culture that has been missing over the last several years.
“Moore’s 24 and an emerging star in an offense that needs one, and home-grown guys also tend to get a bit of a bump from their own teams,” Gantt writes. “It’s good business to keep your own, if only to show other guys that you will. That encourages work, and that’s the point here.”
If Moore and the Panthers can agree on an extension, it will be well deserved. He totaled 3,156 receiving yards over the first three seasons of his career with Carolina. Moore is only one of two players to achieve 1,175 receiving yards in the last two years along with Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce.
