Curtis Samuel Shrugs Off the Offseason Trade Rumors

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Curtis Samuel is worried about the now, not the past

Following the signing of free agent wide receiver Robby Anderson, there was great speculation around the league that the Panthers would be open to listening to trade offers for fourth year wide receiver Curtis Samuel.

Teams like the Packers, 49ers, Eagles and several others were shopping around for an additional wide receiver prior to the draft. Teams around the league were calling the Panthers to see what the asking price would be for Samuel, but the team was "not willing" to consider trading him, per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic.

The Panthers are not shopping Curtis Samuel. They are, however, getting calls on him from interested teams through this afternoon, sources said. Between fit they see for him in Joe Brady’s offense & how much they like him, offer would have to be really good to even consider.

— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) April 24, 2020

The trade rumors quickly died down following the draft and since, Samuel has been noted as someone who will be of extreme importance to the Panthers' offense in 2020 thanks to his versatility. 

On Thursday's Zoom press conference, Samuel talked about the offseason trade rumors.

“I’m not really worried about that, you know, we passed that point and I’m a Carolina Panther right now, so my focus and my goals are just to get better each and every day like Coach Rhule says, ‘Get one percent better.’ I can’t be worried about the past or whatever happens. I’ve just got to be focused on now and getting better and helping this team.” 

Samuel is in the final year of his four-year rookie contract and will be looking to earn a nice, hefty paycheck if he can cash in a big season this fall. 

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