Robbie Anderson Hanging Up His Cleats?

One of the biggest personalities on the team could be headed towards retirement. Early Saturday afternoon, Robbie sent out a tweet (below) that sent shockwaves throughout Panthers Twitter:

Believe it or not, this isn't the first time Robby has made a controversial move on social media this year. Anderson was under scrutiny earlier this offseason after tweeting out a sorrowful "Noooooo" to a fan's post that detailed Brown's QB Baker Mayfield to Carolina in a potential trade. He caught flak for the comment, but didn't receive any punishments in the end.

A few hours later, the former Jet deleted his tweet about retirement, causing even more speculation. Regardless, it is concerning when you consider the potential implications of such a move.

With the current roster, DJ Moore is the clearcut No. 1 receiver, but behind Anderson, there's not much but unproven depth. Last year's draft saw the Panthers invest second and fifth round picks on Terrace Marshall Jr and Shi Smith, neither of whom have shown much but flashes up to this point. Free agent signing Rashard Higgins has never been been anything more than a WR3 or 4, and Brandon Zylstra has mainly contributed on special teams.

The 29-year-old Anderson recorded his first 1,000 yard season in 2020, part of a historic group of Panthers (DJ Moore, Curtis Samuel, Mike Davis) that each recorded at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage. So much so, that the front office rewarded him with a two year $29 million extension, of which he's currently playing with two years left on his deal.

Though much could be said about Robbie's underwhelming 2021 performance, his QB situation was anything but competent. There are numerous clips you can find of Darnold completely overthrowing his receiver which ultimately culminated in seven drops and a career low 519 yards for the former Temple deep threat.

The seventh year player has yet to attend OTA's or minicamp but head coach Matt Rhule doesn't seem too worried about Anderson's absense, saying that he has "no reason to think otherwise" that Robbie shouldn't be here by training camp. Unless, of course, he retires.

Do you think the Panthers receiver is going to hang up his cleats? Or just fishing for attention? It seems that it will come out in due time. Leave any comments or feedback below.