Panthers give Robby Anderson rich extension to keep him in Carolina

After he posted the best season of his career in 2020, the Carolina Panthers have moved to keep Robby Anderson around a bit longer.

After a mostly disappointing tenure with the New York Jets, Robby Anderson surely feels like he found a home with the Carolina Panthers last season. The feeling is officially mutual, with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reporting Tuesday the two sides have agreed to a two-year, $29.5 million contract extension.

Joe Person of The Athletic reported last week the Panthers and Anderson were deep in talks on a contract extension. He is entering the second year of the two-year, $20 million deal he signed last offseason, so now he’s under contract through 2023. As Rapoport cited, he’ll get another bite at the free agent apple as a 30-year-old.

Robby Anderson has become an all-around receiver in Carolina

Easily pigeonholed as an inconsistent deep threat during his time with the Jets, with a lackluster quarterback situation a factor, Anderson evolved last season with the Panthers as he reunited with his college coach Matt Rhule. Getting away from Adam Gase helped, as it has helped others get their careers on track, but offensive coordinator Joe Brady used him differently as well.

It all led to Anderson setting a career-high for catches (95), as he topped 1,000 yards (1,096) for the first time in his career. According to Sports Info Solutions, his 69.9 percent catch rate was in the top-13 among wide receivers and top-15 among all pass catchers with at least 100 targets last year.

With the arrival of Sam Darnold, Anderson is having another reunion in Carolina–this time with a former quarterback. The two worked well together with the Jets, showing solid chemistry in less than ideal circumstances and around Darnold being out at times. No matter how it goes for Darnold as a Panther this year, Anderson will be in the fold for a little while longer with some nice money coming to him.