Former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin did not mince words when asked about his time with the organization.
Benjamin, now with the Buffalo Bills, told Tim Graham of The Athletic that he thinks his career would have gone better had he been drafted by a different organization, blasting quarterback Cam Newton in the process. Benjamin implied that Newton was an inaccurate passer who did not give him the chance to catch enough passes.
“Looking back on it, I should’ve just been drafted by somebody else,” Benjamin said. “I should’ve never went to Carolina. Truly, I just think Carolina was bad for me. It was a bad fit from the get-go. If you would’ve put me with any other quarterback, let’s be real, you know what I’m saying? Any other accurate quarterback like [Aaron] Rodgers or Eli Manning or Big Ben [Roethlisberger] — anybody! — quarterbacks with knowledge, that know how to place a ball and give you a better chance to catch the ball. It just felt like I wasn’t in that position.”
After Benjamin’s comments attracted criticism, he took another shot at the organization on Twitter.
Benjamin’s career got off to a promising start as he racked up 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns in his rookie year. Injuries have held him back since, and he’s never quite been able to match those tallies. He was also criticized for poor effort late in his Carolina career, as it looked at times like he didn’t want to be there. Based on these quotes, there was some truth to that.
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