12-year veteran quarterback Andy Dalton has signed a contract with Carolina Panthers. Dalton spent the 2022 season with the New Orleans Saints. He was the long-time starter with the Cincinnati Bengals then spent a year each with the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears.
Veteran free-agent QB Andy Dalton is expected to reach agreement on a two-year, $10 million deal that includes $8 million fully guaranteed with the Carolina Panthers, per source. Contract max value is $17 million. pic.twitter.com/GCBhqpQ0H8
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 14, 2023
Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers, Agree to Contract
The Red Rifle himself is back. After setting records and dominating at TCU, the Cincinnati Bengals selected Dalton with the 35th-overall selection in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
As a rookie, Dalton took over a Bengals squad that was seemingly in a tailspin with the Carson Palmer drama (and was projected to win 5.5 games). He promptly led the franchise to five-straight playoff appearances. He threw for 3,398 yards and 20 touchdowns while completing 58.1% of his passes. The Dalton-to-AJ-Green connection was electric and the rookies broke onto the scene in a massive way.
In 2012, Dalton led the Bengals back to the postseason with a 10-6 season and passing for 3,669 yards and 27 touchdowns. Then, in 2013, Dalton led the Bengals to its first AFC North Title since 2009 and had his best career year, passing for 4,293 yards and 32 yards.
2014 was a slight step back where the Bengals missed winning another division by a half game and Dalton added 3,398 and just 19 touchdowns. 2015 was special, however. Dalton was playing at a near-MVP level until he suffered a thumb injury attempting to tackle Stephon Tuitt after an interception. Before that game, the Bengals were 10-2 and cruising. He likely would have returned if the Bengals had not melt down in the Wild Card loss to that same Steelers squad four weeks later.
From there, Dalton was not quite the same. He never led the Bengals back to the playoffs and was marred by his sub-par play when the lights got bright. After a run of 6-9-1, 7-9, and 6-10 (5-6 at the time of injury) years, the #BungleForBurrow campaign was on. Dalton played the best he could and led the Bengals to a successful two-win 2019, effectively allowing Cincinnati to draft his replacement.
He left Cincinnati as the second all-time leader in passing yards (31,594) and most touchdowns (204).
After moving on from Cincinnati, Dalton signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys as a backup. Once Prescott went down with an injury, Dalton came in and finished the season 6-5 with 2,170 yards and 14 touchdowns. Then he signed a one-year deal with the Bears to compete with and mentor rookie quarterback Justin Fields. He only played in eight games, winning four and passing for 1,515 yards and eight touchdowns.
Last year, Dalton was the primary starter for the New Orleans Saints, throwing for 2,871 yards and 18 touchdowns, leading the Saints to a 6-8 record in 14 games.
To date, Dalton has thrown for 38,150 yards, 244 touchdowns, and 144 interceptions while completing 62.5% of his passes.
Main Image: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY
