Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton is signing a two-year, $10 million deal with the Panthers, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday. The deal is expected to include $8 million guaranteed and can be worth up to $17 million with incentives.
After nine years as the Bengals‘ starter, Dalton has bounced around the NFL over the past three years. He had stops with the Bears and Cowboys before joining the Saints last year.
While with New Orleans in 2022, Dalton started 14 games and totaled 2,871 passing yards, 18 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. It was the 11th time in 12 seasons that Dalton recorded at least 14 touchdown passes, and he recorded the highest completion percentage of his career at 66.7% last season.
Dalton likely joins Carolina as a veteran presence to help mentor a rookie quarterback. Now the owners of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, the Panthers are likely to select a quarterback with that pick. Although the rookie might not start immediately, he will eventually. Until then, Dalton gives Carolina a reliable option under center.