Why David Moore would rather play for Panthers coach Dave Canales over anyone else
It’s true that David Moore is competing with a pretty crowded wide receiver room as the Carolina Panthers look ahead to training camp in a few weeks.
What’s also true:
Moore looks back on his decision to return to Carolina the same way he did in March.
Said Moore with a smile: “My decision was kind of easy.”
Just after free agency, the Panthers re-signed the 30-year-old receiver to a one-year deal. He spent 2024 as the unsung hero of the offense, in many ways, particularly down the stretch. He finished the season with 32 catches, 351 yards and three touchdowns in 17 games — and was also reliable on special teams.
But why, exactly, was it easy?
The answer pertains mostly to Moore’s longtime connection with Panthers head coach Dave Canales and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik. The three of them were together back when Moore was in Seattle — where he spent 2017 to 2020 — and also when Moore was in Tampa Bay in 2023.
“Coming off the season last year, it was just one of those deals where, for one, I don’t want to play for anyone but Dave,” Moore said on The Charlotte Observer’s podcast, Processing Blue, on Tuesday. “There are some great coaches out there, but me and Dave — and Brad as well — we got a nice relationship going. And they’ve been my guys for a long time. So it’s kind of just, ‘Stay loyal, stay true to the people who stay loyal and true to you.’
“Going into the offseason, I had told Dave that I didn’t want to go anywhere anyway. So he was like, ‘Perfect.’ I talked to Bryce, and he was like, ‘Bro, we got a lot of stuff we can do, you know what I mean?’ You can see the way we ended, the way we were on the incline. ... I felt like there was something good here growing, and I just wanted to be a part of it. That’s what I kept telling the guys. And my decision was kind of easy.
“Some people came and tried to take me there. But I wasn’t trying to go anywhere. I was trying to stay in the Carolinas.”
For the discussion in full — which includes Moore opening up on Bryce Young’s ascension and potential, Moore’s decision last year to play through an injury and more — check out the latest podcast episode of Processing Blue on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch the full show on YouTube.
In the episode, Charlotte Observer reporters Mike Kaye and Alex Zietlow also discuss the details of Taylor Moton’s contract and the importance of Young’s third season — and they also update listeners on two big transactions around the league that Panthers fans would care to know.
