Panthers TE Ja’Tavion Sanders‘ status in Carolina has come under scrutiny recently. The team signed veteran TE Darren Waller off the couch in a direct challenge to Sanders, who played a similar pass-catching role in the offense.
That alone created fair questions about Sanders’ job security. There has been buzz on social media about the Panthers shopping Sanders to other teams as well.
Panthers HC Dave Canales was asked about that on Wednesday and said he has “no information” to pass along, per Joe Person of the Athletic.
That’s notably not a no from Canales, which won’t quiet any of the trade buzz. Sanders is entering his third year and has battled injuries in his first two seasons that haven’t helped him find a groove with the team.
The Panthers have shown a willingness to move on from underperforming players, though, and not hold on too long. They traded former second-round WR Jonathan Mingo a couple years back, another notable draft pick.
Sanders, 23, was first-team All-Big 12 in 2022 and 2023, and he set a school record at Texas for receiving yards by a tight end in 2023 with 682 yards.
The Panthers selected him with the No. 101 pick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He’s entering the third year of a four-year, $4,969,236 rookie contract that included a signing bonus of $874,236.
In 2025, Sanders appeared in 13 games for the Panthers and caught 29 passes on 34 targets for 190 yards and one touchdown.
We’ll have more on Sanders as the news is available.
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