Panthers Clips
Panthers quarterback Will Grier has chosen to retire, the team announced on Wednesday.
Grier, 31, had rejoined Carolina as a free agent in April after turning down a chance to join the Cowboys’ coaching staff. The Panthers brought him into the league as a third-round pick back in 2019.
But after participating in the club’s offseason program, Grier has elected to hang up his cleats.
Grier started just two games in his career, both of which came as a rookie for the Panthers.
He also spent time with the Cowboys, Bengals, Patriots, Chargers, and Eagles throughout his career.
Carolina now has Bryce Young, Kenny Pickett, and undrafted rookie Haynes King on its roster at QB.
The far more clickable headline would be that Panthers receiver and 2025 NFL offensive rookie of the year Tetairoa McMillan was a no-show for a youth football camp on Wednesday, July 1. But it seems at this point to be not a McMillan problem but an issue created by FlexWork Sports Management, which handled (or, more accurately, mishandled) the event.
Via the Asheville (N.C.) Citizen Times, parents and kids showed up for the camp at Reynolds High School on July 1. No one else did.
Per the Times, several parents who had paid for the camp said they received emails transferring their registrations to a camp featuring Panthers receiver Xavier Leggette in Charlotte on May 17. They claimed, however, that some of the emails arrived after May 17 — without a corresponding retrofitted DeLorean capable of doing some serious shit when it hits 88 miles per hour.
Other parents told the Times they didn’t receive any email about the change.
The Times reports that FlexWork “advertised the camp and was supposed to host it,” and “did not respond to multiple requests for comment.”
A McMillan rep told the Times that the camp had been canceled in February, and that he had not been part of the planning of the event. (It’s unclear whether McMillan ever committed to doing the camp.)
FlexWork, per the Times, promoted the camp in a Facebook post on October 19, 2025, explaining that boys and girls from six to 16 could “[l]earn skills from Tetairoa” and “[g]et a pic with the star” and “get swag.” The cost was roughly $100, those who attended the camp that didn’t happen told the Times.
Beyond the snafu regarding FlexWork and McMillan, Reynolds coach Chandler Greer said the school tried to contact FlexWork but received no response. The school apparently attempted to inform FlexWork that the field wouldn’t be available for use that day.
Obviously, the folks who signed up for the camp should get full refunds. If FlexWork isn’t going to respond to media efforts to address the situation, someone in North Carolina with legal authority to get their attention — and to sanction them accordingly — should. A lawsuit also may be in order.
As to McMillan and any other players who are contacted by a third party to conduct an offseason youth camp, be careful who you deal with. Even if it’s not your fault when the whole thing goes sideways, you’ll get dragged into the mess.
In this case, McMillan may want to consider legal action of his own against FlexWork. It’s his name that will be dragged through the mud over this, even if he had no responsibility for what transpired.
Veteran offensive lineman Brady Christensen says that he is ready to get back on the football field.
Christensen tore his Achilles while playing for the Panthers last October and told Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer that doctors have cleared him for contact. Christensen became a free agent when his contract expired in March and said he’s remained in contact about a return to Carolina, but is open to any spot that provides him with an opportunity to play.
“I think my ideal situation is to go in and compete,” Christensen said. “I don’t care about what position I play; I feel comfortable everywhere now. So the ideal situation is just go and compete and find the field again. Being able to play on Sundays is my goal.”
Christensen saw time at multiple positions along the line in 59 games for the Panthers and his clearance for a full workload should be a plus in his effort to find a team before or during training camp.
The NFL is making a significant change to the offseason calendar for the 2027 season.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the free agent negotiating window will open on March 9 next year. That is the same date that the two-day window opened this year, but the change comes in how close it will be to the end of the Scouting Combine.
NFL teams will wrap up their examinations and interrogations of incoming prospects on March 8 in 2027, which moves the league away from having a week or so between the two events as they have in past years.
Under that setup, the Combine has always been rife with table-setting for free agency as agents and team executives are all in the same place with their minds on the same things. With that gap eliminated, there will likely be even more of that work being done in Indianapolis so that teams are ready to make moves right from the starting gun.
One member of Washington’s front office is departing the organization.
According to multiple reports, Scott Fitterer is leaving the Commanders to join Athletes First, working within the agency’s coaches and executives division.
Fitterer had been a personal executive for the Commanders for the last two seasons.
He was previously the Panthers’ General Manager from 2021-2023, with Carolina accumulating a 14-37 record in his tenure.
Fitterer had been with the Seahawks in a variety of roles from 2001-2020, last serving as the team’s vice president of football operations.
Ron Rivera, who worked for 13 straight seasons as an NFL head coach (and who won the NFL’s coach of the year award twice), will be staying put at his alma mater.
Via Ron Krochick of the San Francisco Chronicle, Rivera has signed a three-year deal to remain the G.M. at Cal.
He was hired in 2025. The contract, which apparently is retroactive to 2025, runs through March 2028.
Rivera will make $800,000 per year, with the ability to double his pay based on the football program’s success. He’ll maximize his compensation with 10 wins.
Rivera’s job includes supervising the head coach, and it includes a buyout of $250,000 if Rivera leaves before the end of the 2026 season. He reports directly to the school’s chancellor.
Rivera coached the Panthers from 2013 through 2019, and the Commanders from 2020 through 2023. He was hired by Cal in 2025.
Earlier this year, Rivera interviewed for the Cardinals’ head coaching job.
A second-round pick in 1984, Rivera was a member of the legendary 1985 Bears defense. After an eight-year playing career, all in Chicago, he entered coaching in 1997.
In 2025, the NFL began outfitting the jerseys of the prior year’s award winners with gold shields. This year, a pair of Rams will be wearing them.
The gold shields go to the reigning NFL MVP, the offensive player of the year, the defensive player of the year, the offensive rookie of the year, and the defensive rookie of the year.
This year, the five awards that will be acknowledged with gold shields were won by Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (MVP), Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njgiba (OPOY), then-Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (DPOY), Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan (OROY), and Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger (DROY).
With Garrett being traded to the Rams, L.A. will have both Stafford and Garrett wearing the gold shields. (If Garrett hadn’t been traded, the 5-12 Browns would have two defensive players wearing gold shield).
The gold shields are hard to notice, since the shield on each jersey is small. The issue landed caught our eye on a slow Sunday because the Seahawks have posted an image of Smith-Njigba in his new jersey.
And, no, Smith-Njigba’s gold shield doesn’t have a typo.
Former NFL defensive tackle DeShawn Williams has filed a lawsuit over memorabilia that he believes was stolen from his home.
The theft wasn’t the garden-variety smash-and-grab. Via Tampa Bay 28, Williams claims that contractors hired after Hurricane Helene damaged the home in 2024 entered the premises without permission, took items belonging to Williams, and then posted them for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
DeShawn Williams and his wife, Ashlee, contend that their mortgage company hired Solid Foundation Properties LLC, which then subcontracted with Colvin Inspections to inspect and preserve the property. They claim that Colvin Inspections also removed certain property.
“They call it securing the property or winterizing the property,” their attorney, Matt Weider, told Tampa Bay 28. “But in fact, they’re just entering into a property and violating a homeowner’s security.”
The Williamses contend that DeShawn’s Denver Broncos helmet and his Bengals jersey were listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace, for $800 and $200, respectively.
DeShawn Williams, undrafted in 2015, played for the Bengals, Broncos, and Panthers. Earlier this year, he joined the Oklahoma coaching staff as a defensive analyst.
Before Sam Darnold starred at quarterback for the Vikings and won Super Bowl LX with the Seahawks, he spent a year as the 49ers’ backup to Brock Purdy.
That 2023 season spent with San Francisco was critical for Darnold’s development.
Darnold went into that season having spent his first three seasons with the Jets before two seasons with the Panthers. And while Darnold did not play much — he started an inconsequential Week 18 game against the Carson Wentz-led Rams — he said in a recent interview that he picked up a lot from his time in the Bay Area.
“I think for me, it was … looking at myself in the mirror and just being like, ‘alright, this is what I need to do this year. I’m not going to get an opportunity to get a starter,’” Darnold said during an appearance in Tuesday’s episode of Bussin’ with the Boys. “And I think going to San Francisco, I mean, shoot, you guys saw what Mac Jones did this year. I understood that quarterbacks in that system, quarterbacks with Kyle [Shanahan] — you look at Brock [Purdy] and all the success he’s had there — quarterbacks just thrive in that system. It’s also because they have really good players.
“But, just getting to know that system and getting to know those coaches, like that’s really why I decided to be a backup in San Francisco. I thought that would be the best place to just go. And people say it all the time, and I’ve heard it, but I feel like I got my PhD in football when I went to San Francisco.”
Darnold credited the 49ers’ coaching staff, led by Shanahan, for part of his growth. But he also noted that watching the high-caliber players around him made a significant difference.
“I’ve talked about learning from Brock quite a bit,” Darnold said. “But all the great players that are over there. — friend of the program George Kittle, Fred Warner, Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams of course — you just have all these studs who are over there. And to just learn their habits and stuff that they do in the offseason, how they get better, it was just such a great opportunity for me to just go there and be a sponge, and just learn so much football. Learn how to take care of my body off the field.”
But it was Purdy who really made a difference, in large part due to the way he presented alternative preparation methods.
“I can’t mention Brock enough,” Darnold said. “But just the way that he prepared really showed me how to really prepare, because you don’t know what you don’t know. And I think for me, being able to go there and see how efficient he was — because you can put a ton of time in, but you can be doing it the wrong way. And he was so efficient with his time. And he would cut out three or four hours of studying throughout the night because our game plans were crazy. …The system is so intricate.
“But that was so fun. It was so fun to go learn football there. And I’m so thankful for that opportunity that I got in San Francisco.”
Since that time with the 49ers, Darnold has won 14 games in each of the last two seasons for Minnesota and Seattle. In 2025, he completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 4,048 yards with 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. In the postseason, he completed 61.5 percent of his throws for 672 yard with five TDs and no picks to earn his first Super Bowl ring.
The offseason programs around the league have largely wrapped up for 2026, with players and coaches around the league now experiencing some time off.
But training camps are just a few weeks away from opening.
The NFL announced the camp report dates for all 32 teams on Monday, with the first ones opening up in less than a month.
Below are the camp locations and report dates:
Arizona Cardinals: State Farm Stadium | Rookies: 7/22 | Veterans 7/22
Atlanta Falcons: Atlanta Falcons Training Facility | Rookies: 7/24 | Veterans: 7/28
Baltimore Ravens: Under Armour Performance Center | Rookies: 7/24 | Veterans: 7/28
Buffalo Bills: St. John Fisher University | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/28
Carolina Panthers: Bank of America Stadium | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/22
Chicago Bears: Halas Hall | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Cincinnati Bengals: Paycor Stadium | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Cleveland Browns: CrossCountry Mortgage Campus | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Dallas Cowboys: Marriott Residence Inn Oxnard | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
Denver Broncos: Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit | Rookies: 7/22 | Veterans: 7/28
Detroit Lions: Meijer Performance Center | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Green Bay Packers: Lambeau Field | Rookies: 7/27 | Veterans: 7/28
Houston Texans: Houston Methodist Training Center | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/28
Indianapolis Colts: Grand Park | Rookies: 7/27 | Veterans: 7/28
Jacksonville Jaguars: Miller Electric Center | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Kansas City Chiefs: Missouri Western State University | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
Las Vegas Raiders: Intermountain Health Performance Center | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Los Angeles Chargers: The Bolt | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Los Angeles Rams: Loyola Marymount University | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/25
Miami Dolphins: Baptist Health Training Complex | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/28
Minnesota Vikings: TCO Performance Center | Rookies: 7/26 | Veterans: 7/28
New England Patriots: New Balance Athletics Center | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/24
New Orleans Saints: Ochsner Sports Performance Center | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
New York Giants: Quest Diagnostics Training Center/The Greenbrier | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
New York Jets: Athletic Health Jets Training Center | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Philadelphia Eagles: Jefferson Health Training Complex | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
Pittsburgh Steelers: Saint Vincent College | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
San Francisco 49ers: SAP Performance Facility | Rookies: 7/18 | Veterans: 7/25
Seattle Seahawks: Virginia Mason Athletic Center | Rookies: 7/17 | Veterans: 7/24
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: AdventHealth Training Center | Rookies: 7/27 | Veterans: 7/28
Tennessee Titans: Vanderbilt Health Football Center | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Washington Commanders: Commanders Park | Rookies: 7/24 | Veterans: 7/28
