NFL

Arizona Cardinals acquire disgruntled Carolina Panthers WR Robbie Anderson

By Sports Desk October 17, 2022

The Arizona Cardinals boosted their wide receiver corps by acquiring Robbie Anderson from the Carolina Panthers in a trade on Monday.

Draft compensation was undisclosed as Anderson's career with the Panthers ended on a sour note.

The seven-year veteran was sent to the locker room by interim coach Steve Wilks in the second half of Sunday's 24-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Earlier in the game, Anderson got into a heated argument with position coach Joe Dailey before being separated by teammates. 

Later in the third quarter, he again exchanged words with Dailey before Wilks, who was coaching his first game after Matt Rhule was fired last week, sent him off.

He now joins a 2-4 Cardinals team that could be without leading receiver Marquise Brown after he suffered a left ankle injury late in Sunday's 19-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

In fact, Kyler Murray will have a pair of new weapons at his disposal for Arizona's Thursday night game against the New Orleans Saints with DeAndre Hopkins set to rejoin the team with his six-game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs now over.

Hopkins had 42 catches and eight touchdowns last season in only 10 games.

Anderson caught five passes for 102 yards with a touchdown in the season opener for Carolina but was limited to just eight receptions for 104 yards without a score in the next five games. 

He was not targeted a single time in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Signed to a two-year, $29.5million extension through 2023 prior to last season, the 29-year-old Anderson was upset about being taken out on third down when he believed he should be on the field.

"It's third down, it's a money down. I don't think I should be okay with that [being taken out],'' Anderson said. 

"So I made a comment on why I was taken out.

"Honestly, I was confused because I have never been told get out of the game. And, you know, upset by that. Nobody that is a true competitor would be OK with that.''

Competitor or not, Wilks said his behaviour was unacceptable.

"No one is bigger than the team," Wilks told reporters. "I'm not going to focus and put a lot of attention on one individual… I'm not putting a lot of energy into one individual."

Prior to joining the Panthers in 2020, Anderson spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the New York Jets.

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