Source — Former Washington Football Team QB Dwayne Haskins to visit Carolina Panthers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Former Washington Football Team quarterback Dwayne Haskins will visit with the Carolina Panthers on Monday, a league source confirmed on Saturday.

Haskins was released by Washington after a Week 16 loss to the Panthers and a week after being photographed without a mask at his girlfriend’s birthday party following a loss to Seattle Seahawks.

Haskins was fined $40,000 for his second breach of the COVID-19 protocols and lost his captaincy, but made his second straight start in the loss to Carolina.

The Panthers’ current interest in Haskins should not come as a surprise.

Panthers coach Matt Rhule recruited Haskins, 23, when he was the head coach at Temple. Asked about that after Haskins was released, Rhule said players who were that highly recruited “didn’t spend too much time talking to us.”

Haskins ended up at Ohio State and set several school passing records while running an attack guided by then-offensive coordinator Ryan Day. Day, now the Buckeyes’ head coach, worked with Rhule at Temple when both were assistants in 2006.

Haskins was the 15th pick by Washington in 2019 and could be a good fit in Carolina’s quarterback-friendly offense.

The fact that Rhule didn’t give Teddy Bridgewater a vote of confidence as his starter heading into 2021 and said Bridgewater needed to have a “tremendous offseason” leaves some uncertainty around the Panthers’ quarterback position.

Behind Bridgewater is former XFL star P.J. Walker and 2019 third-round pick Will Grier.

Other teams reportedly have expressed interest in Haskins. While his visit to Carolina has been described as exploratory, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t turn into a signing.

When such a signing could occur remains to be seen. The Panthers also are in the process of interviewing general manager candidates. They already have interviewed at least 13, including two in-house.

NFL Network earlier reported of the Panthers’ planned interview with Haskins.

Haskins was 3-10 as Washington’s starter the past two seasons. He completed 60.1% of his passes and threw 12 touchdowns to 14 interceptions.

The Panthers also are in the process of replacing quarterbacks coach Jake Peetz, recently named the offensive coordinator at LSU, and could lose offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

Brady has interviewed with Houston, Atlanta and the Los Angeles Chargers for their head-coaching vacancies.

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