David Tepper and the Carolina Panthers are not expected to pursue a trade for Deshaun Watson.

Watson has only waived his no trade clause for the Miami Dolphins and the framework of a deal has been agreed upon.

The Panthers traded for Sam Darnold this past offseason, who has struggled over the past few weeks. 

Deshaun Watson is willing to consider waiving his no-trade clause for multiple teams as the trade deadline approaches.

The Miami Dolphins have been the team most strongly linked to Watson for months, but the Carolina Panthers have now emerged as another candidate. The Panthers traded second-, fourth- and sixth-round draft picks to the New York Jets this past April for Sam Darnold, who has struggled badly in recent weeks.

The Dolphins don't want to bid against themselves for Watson. Tua Tagovailoa almost certainly would be traded as part of Miami's package to the Houston Texans. 

Watson initially requested a trade from the Texans this past January, but his NFL future is uncertain as he faces nearly two dozen 22 civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault and inappropriate behavior. 

Sam Darnold was benched early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 25-3 loss to the New York Giants, but he remains the starter for the Carolina Panthers.

"Just felt like we needed somewhat of a spark," Matt Rhule said. "Sam will be our quarterback next week. He will be our quarterback moving forward."

Rhule turned to backup P.J. Walker with 12:41 remaining Sunday and Carolina trailing 15-3.

Walker finished 3-of-14 for 33 yards and also had one run for 13 yards during his time in the game.

Christian McCaffrey, who suffered a hamstring injury on September 23, will likely be a game-time decision for the Carolina Panthers this week.

"Honestly, probably 50-50 on Christian," Matt Rhule said. "It's going to come down to how he feels. So we'll wait to see how he responds to today and go from there."

The Panthers have lost both of their games since McCaffrey went down.

The Carolina Panthers have acquired Stephon Gilmore from the New England Patriots for a 2023 sixth round pick.

Gilmore and the Patriots were unable to agree to terms on a contract and he was set to be released.