While the Washington Football Team is set for a playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers today, its former quarterback is getting set for his first trip.
Sources say that Dwayne Haskins will leave Sunday night on a free-agent visit with the Carolina Panthers, one that will begin in earnest on Monday morning.
It is the first trip for the former first-rounder who was waived by Washington on Dec. 28, then cleared waivers thanks in part to his $4.3 million in remaining salary that Washington will cover. The new team would likely only pay Haskins the minimum.
There is uncertainty for the Panthers heading into the 2021 season at quarterback, with Teddy Bridgewater being pulled in his last start and head coach Matt Rhule saying Bridgewater must have a "tremendous offseason."
Could Haskins be part of the solution? There are other teams with interest in the talented player who was picked No. 15 in 2019, and this could be just fact-finding for Carolina.
However, if it goes well for both sides, it could turn into a signing. Rhule has known Haskins since high school, and Ryan Day -- Haskins' coach at Ohio State -- worked with Rhule at Temple in 2006. There are connections, and Carolina is doing its homework.
WFT released Haskins a few weeks ago after he started a game, was benched and would have been inactive in the final game. That same week, Haskins was fined and disciplined for attending a party with strippers while being pictured not wearing a mask in violation of COVID-19 protocols.
Upon release, Haskins said in a statement, "I take full responsibility for not meeting the standards of an NFL QB and will become a better man and player because of this experience."
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