Panthers wide receiver reveals Bill Belichick wanted to sign him

After spending his first four NFL seasons with the New York Jets, wide receiver Robby Anderson inked a two-year, $29.5 million deal with the Carolina Panthers.

However, the move to the Panthers didn’t come without some consideration to join another franchise. The veteran wideout revealed this week that New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick made a strong push to get him to sign with the team.

Bill Belichick tried to recruit Panthers star Robby Anderson to the Patriots

“When I played them, from what I can remember, (Belichick) usually would put man coverage (with) a safety over the top and scheme me, do things like that,” he said, via NESN. “Kind of take me out of the picture. He even told me that, too. Last year when I was in free agency, he tried to get me to sign. He was like, ‘I’m tired of scheming against you. I’m tired of going against you.’”

The Patriots' significant salary-cap space in the offseason ahead of the 2020 campaign led Anderson to take a lucrative deal elsewhere. However, the conversation could have been much different this past offseason as the Patriots possessed plenty of salary-cap space.

During his four-year stint with the Jets, Anderson developed into a premier deep-ball threat behind his speed. He showed promising flashes of translating that into more significant production in the right offensive system. He posted north of 750 receiving yards in each of his last three campaigns in New York and topped that by posting a then-career-best 941 receiving yards in 2017.

Anderson pushed his potential into fruition last season in his first year with the Panthers, posting career-best numbers across the board with 95 receptions for 1,096 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

His numbers have dropped in 2021. He has posted 18 receptions on 50 targets for 204 receiving yards, largely due to the Panthers’ ineffectiveness throwing the ball. The second half of the season will play a huge part in shaping his free agency market next offseason.

Anderson has struggled to find a consistent connection with Sam Darnold, who has stumbled through his first season in Carolina. Darnold has thrown more interceptions (eight) than touchdown passes (seven) while possessing only a 76.8 passer rating and a 44.0 quarterback rating.

He hasn't thrown a touchdown pass since the Week 6 action against the Minnesota Vikings and has recorded only two multiple touchdown pass performances.

If the Panthers hope to make a serious playoff push, they will need the fifth-year quarterback to lead the charge.