Roofing Contractor inCharlotte, NC.

Bryce Young will begin his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers after being selected first overall in the 2023 NFL draft by the franchise. The team’s front office has put together a quality offense, but will it be enough to earn Young the Offensive Rookie of the Year recognition?

Curt Popejoy of Draft Wire argues that Young isn’t even a top-three candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Instead, he ranks Anthony Richardson (QB, Indianapolis Colts), C.J. Stroud (QB, Houston Texans), and Bijan Robinson (RB, Atlanta Falcons) ahead of Young. The former Crimson Tide quarterback ranks No. 4 on the list.

Behind Young at fifth and sixth are WR Jaxson Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks and WR Quentin Johnson of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Young’s offense will be headlined by wide receiver Adam Thielen and running back Miles Sanders. It certainly is a strong rookie class, but Young has the talent and the supporting cast to help him achieve national stardom in his first year.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Young as he begins his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers.

More Bama in NFL!

Brian Branch receives heartfelt message from brother after getting drafted

More Bama in NFL!

Jahmyr Gibbs to wear No. 26 for Detroit Lions

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM.

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Bank of America has become a name intertwined with the history and story of the Carolina Panthers, but after 20 years the future use of their name above 800 Mint St. is not so set in stone.

Bank of America and Tepper Sports Entertainment have been in talks over naming rights for the stadium past 2024, when the current contract ends.

BofA entered into a 20-year contract with the Panthers and Tepper in 2004 to the tune of about $7 million per season.

The new negotiations have been described as one of the most complex naming rights contract discussions in the NFL, and a hard number doesn’t accurately reflect the financial impacts this could have for both organizations.

Experts say both camps appear to be focused on the evaluation of the growth of the Charlotte market and the stadium has had on personal business over the past 20 years.

In 2004, the Carolina Panthers were a young team with a single Super Bowl appearance.

Today, the Panthers have made two Super Bowl appearances; while the stadium hosts events throughout the years which include games played by Charlotte FC, and concerts and entertainment events featuring the biggest names in the industry.

Dr. Craig Depken II, an economics professor at UNC Charlotte, explained that “when somebody says ‘live from Bank of America Stadium,’ or ‘here I am at Bank of America Stadium here’s my Instagram click.’ Every time that’s additional value.”

Depken has never been involved in naming rights negotiations but has studied them for decades.

From the study he’s done on past deals, he said that the only thing that would have changed in 20 years, “is value associated through social media and online networks. There have been people working on that. Trying to figure out how valu[able] those mentions of BofA [are] – fill in the bank with some tweet somewhere.”

“Bank of America is able to kind of parlay down to all of those together to the point to where they can say here is how all of those mentioned impact their business,” he said.

Queen City News reached out to representatives for both Bank of America and Tepper Sports Entertainment. Bank of America representatives said, “There’s nothing to report.”

Tepper Sports Entertainment representatives produced the following:

“Out of respect for our partners and the proprietary nature of our contracts, the organization does not publicly comment on the status of our partnerships.”

Both sides would not comment on the deadline for when an agreement would need to be reached.

The Bears had the No. 1 overall pick and could have used it to draft a quarterback. But they’ve seen enough of Justin Fields, the No. 11 overall choice in 2021, to think they have their franchise quarterback.

The Bears used the extra picks obtained from the Panthers in the trade of the top pick to continue to build around Fields.

Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy expects Fields to take another step this season.

“Where he was at this time last year to where he is now, I think he’s just light years ahead of where he was,” Getsy said Saturday, via Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune. “And I feel like he has a ton more to grow going forward. So we’re excited to try to get the best out of him moving forward and keep working toward where we think he can go.”

Fields, 23, rushed for a team-leading 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns, but he led the league with 16 fumbles, threw 11 interceptions and averaged 149.5 yards passing per game. The Bears went 3-14.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus has seen improvement already this offseason.

“Part of that [needed improvement] is rhythm and timing. That’s the footwork with Justin,” Eberflus said. “He’s been working on that really, really good in terms of the quick pass, dropback pass, movement pass, and he’s really made some big strides in that area coming in so far — on his own and now coming into the phase two [of the offseason program], that first week.”

Fields will have more to work with after the Bears added tight end Robert Tonyan in free agency, drafted receiver Tyler Scott and acquired receiver D.J. Moore in the trade with Carolina for the top pick.

Justin Fields is “light years ahead” of where he was last year at this time originally appeared on Pro Football Talk

The Hornets have missed out on the playoffs for seven straight seasons. They don’t exactly have a great track record of success – they’ve only recorded 50-plus wins three times in 33 seasons and made the postseason a total of 10 times. None of those 50-win seasons and just three of their playoff berths have come in the last 19 years since they rejoined the NBA as an expansion team.

After going 23-42 in 2019/20, it seemed like Charlotte was on an upward trajectory — the team increased its win total by 10 in both ’20/21 (33-39) and ’21/22 (43-39). However, the Hornets were blown out as the No. 10 seed in the play-in tournament in ’21 and ’22, which led to former head coach James Borrego getting fired.

Unfortunately, the Hornets took a major step back this season from a win/loss perspective, going 27-55. Injuries to players up and down the roster certainly played a part in that decline, with only P.J. Washington playing 70 or more games (73). Off-court problems were another factor, as Miles Bridges missed the entire season after being arrested for felony domestic violence charges, later pleading no contest.

Even when relatively healthy though, the Hornets didn’t perform up to expectations. They had the worst offensive rating in the league by a pretty significant margin, struggling to score from all over the court.

Having said that, I don’t think the future is as gloomy as it might appear on the surface. In addition to having a 12.5% chance at the top overall draft pick, the Hornets have four other selections in the 27-42 range, giving them some interesting short-term options to improve.

The Hornets’ Offseason Plan:

If the Hornets choose to not bring back any of their players on non-guaranteed deals and renounce all of their free agents and other cap holds (besides their first-round picks), they could operate as a below-the-cap team and have more than $30MM in room to go after free agents. However, the odds of that happening are extremely remote.

President of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak already stated Charlotte doesn’t plan to be a major player in free agency and will instead look to retain its own free agents and add talent through the draft. That makes sense, both from a financial and team-building perspective.

Not only are the Hornets’ own free agents likely better than the players they could add with that theoretical cap room, but operating as an over-the-cap team also gives them access to the full mid-level exception ($12.2MM) and the bi-annual exception ($4.5MM). If they went the other route, they’d only have the $7.6MM room exception to fill out the roster (on top of their cap space).

Re-signing Bridges probably won’t be a popular choice, but it has seemed inevitable for a long time. He was set to be one of the top players on the market last summer but was arrested mere days before an enormous payday.

The Hornets never withdrew his qualifying offer, so he’ll be a restricted free agent again in 2023 as long as the team reissues that QO this summer. It’s hard to say how much he’ll get paid on his next contract given everything that’s happened — I still think he’s likely to get something in the $25MM+ per year range, but it probably won’t approach a max like it may have last offseason.

Washington is the other key restricted free agent for Charlotte. His next contract might be less lucrative than Bridges’, but I think the Hornets will match any offer sheet up to around $20MM per year. They’d certainly prefer to pay him less than that though, perhaps in the range of $14-16MM annually – I would bet on Washington’s agents looking for more money from a rival team if that’s as high as Charlotte goes. It will be interesting to see how his situation plays out.

The team’s unrestricted free agents include Kelly Oubre, Svi Mykhailiuk and Dennis Smith Jr. Both Oubre (multiple times) and Smith have spoken about wanting to remain with the Hornets, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they return, but that might depend on how the draft goes.

Oubre made $12.6MM in ‘22/23 and I think he’ll probably get something in the ballpark of that figure on annual basis this summer, perhaps on a two- or three-year deal. I don’t expect Smith to have a robust market due to his scoring struggles, but he has become a much better decision-maker and an outstanding point-of-attack defender. They Hornets will have his Non-Bird rights if they want to give him a modest raise on his minimum-salary deal — otherwise they’ll have to use one of the aforementioned exceptions to give him a bit more money.

Giving LaMelo Ball a rookie scale extension is probably a mere formality. The former All-Star dealt with multiple ankle injuries in ‘22/23, but I still think he’s likely going to get a max contract.

My expectation is the Hornets will be involved in at least a couple of trades this offseason. If they keep all of their players on guaranteed contracts, re-sign Bridges, Washington, Oubre and Smith, and keep JT Thor’s non-guaranteed deal, they’d have 16 players under standard contracts if you include their two first-round picks. That’s one more than permitted.

They’ll also have three second-rounders ranging from No. 34-42. They could package those to try to move up in the first round, but Kupchak has had some nice second-round finds since he’s been in charge, so I’m not sure that’s likely. Even with the addition of a third two-way slot, the Hornets will still have a roster crunch, so look for some trade activity.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Dead/Retained Salary

Player Options

Team Options

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

Extension-Eligible Players

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Note: The cap holds for Thomas, Kulboka, and Lewis remain on the Hornets’ books from prior seasons because they haven’t been renounced. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.

Cap Exceptions Available

Last week, Panthers G.M. Scott Fitterer shared with #PFTPM the moment at which he became convinced that quarterback Bryce Young was the right choice at No. 1. Coach Frank Reich did the same in comments to Peter King for his Football Morning in America column, pointing to a different interaction.

For Fitterer, the kicker happened during Young’s “30 visit” to Carolina, and it sprang from the manner in which Young handled himself at dinner with representatives of the team the night before a Pro Day workout. For Reich, it came from the manner in which Young handled an obscure, garbage-time play during his freshman year at Alabama, when he was only 19 years old.

Peter’s column sets the stage and walks through the play, with video of it from two different angles. Put simply, Young spotted the need for a shift in protection to the left before the snap, and he calmly did it.

“Bryce right there called a five-man slide, which is an incredibly smart and incredibly risky call,” Reich told King. “If you’re going to call a five-man slide, you have to be 100 percent sure you can bring that [right] tackle over. Because if you bring him and that [left defensive] end comes, you’re in trouble. And just watch the play — how smooth the call is, how sure he is. He saw overload pressure to his left, he figured he wasn’t getting pressure to his right, he had the line all move left to compensate — and he even got the back to cover a blitzer. Just look how easy he made it look.”

Why would something like that at the end of a game the Crimson Tide led 48-17 over Tennessee make a difference to an NFL head coach?

“That play just confirmed everything we were thinking and already know,” Reich told King. “Just confirmed the level of football IQ he has that’s on par with Peyton [Manning], [Matt] Ryan, [Philip] Rivers, [Andrew] Luck. I’m telling you: There are quarterbacks in the NFL who haven’t done what he did right there — and he did it easily in his true freshman year in college. To have the confidence to make that call for Alabama in his second college game. Unreal.”

That’s the kind of brain power that makes up for limited height and weight. It underscores the confidence the team has that Young will work within the boundaries of his size, finding throwing lanes among the linemen and getting rid of the ball before taking a big hit. And it persuaded Reich that they got the right person when they picked Bryce Young.

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A field featuring several notable names tee off for the latest edition of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte. You can find all of The Charlotte Observer’s coverage below.

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There’s something about the way Rickie Fowler strides around a golf course these days that feels like you’ve seen a ghost.

His eccentric fashion decisions that convinced men twice his age highlighter orange and gaudy floral-print golf shirts are appropriate style choices live on in the galleries at Quail Hollow. His name, too, echoes from the crowds in a tone largely reserved for the major winners in the field, not a player ranked 53rd in the Official World Golf Rankings.

But most pressing, it’s Fowler’s golf swing — not flashy outfits or boy band-esque shaggy locks — that transported onlookers into seeing a past version of the one-time Oklahoma State star at this week’s Wells Fargo Championship.

The Ghost of Rickie Past is in there. And it’s starting to show.

“That’s a kind of a dream finish on a day like today,” Fowler told The Observer after birdieing three of his final four holes in Saturday’s third round for a 3-under 68. “What was a so-so round as far as scoring went, that turns it into a nice day and hopefully we can kind of continue that into tomorrow.”

Fowler, 6-under on the week and sitting T20 entering the final round, occupies a strange place in the golf ecosystem. He’s been a fan favorite since he burst onto the scene a decade ago in his bright get-ups and ‘Bama bangs. He made Puma, of all brands, cool.

All the while, Fowler’s play matched his endearing marketability. He finished in the top five at all four majors in 2014 and has 12 major top 10s to his name. His resume includes wins at the 2015 Players Championship and the 2019 Waste Management Open, two of the biggest events in any given calendar year.

There are lasting impacts of such things. They showed on Saturday.

As Fowler made his way from the driving range to the practice green, a man no less then 60 and donning a fluorescent pink and blue, button-up Hawaiian shirt barked out, “Hey Rickie, who do you think I’m rooting for today?” Fowler didn’t hear (or chose not to acknowledge the query). A rhetorical question perhaps. The man followed Fowler for all 18 holes.

Another middle-aged male greeted Fowler near the putting green, donning a neon orange polo and shorts reminiscent of those Fowler has worn for years on Sundays as a nod to his alma mater. The look is certainly, well, a choice.

“Let’s have a day Rickie,” another man cheered along the ropes between the practice green and first tee.

Still, recent years have made it feel the rock star support Fowler receives outweighs what he’s actually done on the golf course. Fowler finished 125th in the FedEx Cup Points standings in 2022 — the literal last spot that ensured he’d retain his PGA Tour card. That brought significant changes to his team. He parted ways with longtime caddie Joe Skovron and brought renowned swing coach Butch Harmon on board.

Those moves have paid dividends.

Fowler is quietly on track for his best season in almost five years. He’s finished in the top 20 in seven of his last eight events. He hasn’t missed a cut since early October. He’s also played himself into legitimate contention for the 2024 U.S. Ryder Cup team.

“Gosh, Rickie is an old man now,” a volunteer hiding beneath the stadium entrance onto the first tee box opined. At 34, it does feel like Fowler has been around forever.

Saturday was a turn-back-the-clock-type day in a season that’s become increasingly chock full of vintage Fowler performances. He was patient on a round that tested his mettle. Fowler hit 11 of 18 greens in regulation, but it took until the par-5 10th for him to find the bottom of the hole with a birdie putt.

That form persisted into Fowler’s back-nine. He clobbered a 3-wood and landed a short pitch within three feet of the cup at 15. He followed that by canning a 19-foot birdie at 17. Finally, Fowler rewarded those crowding around the stadium seating at the 18th green with a flippy wedge from 144 yards, sticking his approach to just three feet.

Another birdie. Another roar for Rickie.

“This golf course tests you in all parts,” Fowler said. “You’ve got to drive it well. Approach shots have to be dialed in — and even then it’s tough to make putts on these greens with how much slope and movement there is.

“There’s a low one out there, but you’ll have to be damn near perfect.”

Stepping out from under the massive tree off the left side of the clubhouse at Quail Hollow, Fowler was greeted by a swath of autograph-seeking youths. He stuck around for 29 minutes. He signed every single item. Hats, flags, balls. All of them.

The support, the play, all of it feels reminiscent of the version of Fowler that skyrocketed to relevancy on the PGA Tour a decade ago. But this iteration of the sport’s ex-golden boy is different.

“What kind of dirt bike do you have Rickie?” a fan chimed as Fowler headed toward the locker room.

“I don’t have a dirt bike anymore,” Fowler said through wry smile.

Fowler has undoubtedly matured over his 14 years on tour (Read: no more dirt bikes). Age does that. Fatherhood, too. These days, his bag includes a tag emblazoned with his daughter’s name “Maya Fowler” on it. His mostly white outfit on Saturday was also about as understated as his clothing gets.

Despite that, there’s a lingering sentiment vintage Fowler is still there. His play proves as much. Five months into the calendar year and three days into competition at the Wells Fargo Championship, Fowler is back where he belongs — in the mix.

Maybe it’s time we all start believing in ghosts.

1 — Wyndham Clark (-16)

2 — Xander Schauffele (-14)

T3 — Adam Scott (-11)

T3 — Tyrell Hatton (-11)

T5 — Harris English (-10)

T5 — Tommy Fleetwood (-10)

T5 — Sungjae Im (-10)

8 — Brendon Todd (-9)

T9 — Corey Conners (-8)

T9 — Gary Woodland (-8)

T9 — Max Homa (-8)

T9 — Michael Kim (-8)

T9 —Adam Svensson (-8)

T9 — Justin Thomas (-8)

T9 — Nate Lashley (-8)

7:40 a.m. — Ryan Armour, Nick Hardy

7:50 a.m. — Webb Simpson, Stewart Cink

8:00 a.m. — Justin Suh, Austin Eckroat (Canada)

8:10 a.m. — Cam Davis (Australia), Henrik Norlander (Sweden)

8:20 a.m. — Zac Blair, David Lingmerth (Sweden)

8:30 a.m. — Kramer Hickock, Callum Tarren (England)

8:40 a.m. — Alejandro Tosti (Argentina), Cameron Young

8:50 a.m. — Hayden Buckley, Joseph Bramlett

9:00 a.m. —Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)

9:10 a.m. — Chris Kirk, Sahith Theegala

9:25 — Keith Mitchell, Matthew Fitzpatrick (England)

9:35 a.m. — Harrison Endycott (Australia), Francesco Molinari (Italy)

9:45 a.m. — Chad Ramey, Trey Mullinax

9:55 a.m. — MJ Daffue (South Africa), Si Woo Kim (South Korea)

10:05 a.m. — Tony Finau, Stephan Jaeger

10:15 a.m. — Beau Hossler, Akshay Bhatia

10:30 a.m. — Patrick Cantlay, Denny McCarthy

10:40 a.m. — Taylor Moore, Trace Crowe

10:50 a.m. — Keegan Bradley, Ryan Palmer

11:00 a.m. — Emiliano Grillo (Argentina), Tom Kim (South Korea)

11:10 a.m. — Mark Hubbard, Jimmy Walker

11:20 a.m. — K.H. Lee (South Korea), J.J. Spaun

11:35 a.m. — Matthew NeSmith, Kevin Streelman

11:45 a.m. — Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar

11:55 a.m. — Dylan Wu, Doug Ghim

12:05 p.m. — Seamus Power (Ireland), Alex Smalley

12:15 p.m. — Nate Lashley, Viktor Hovland (Norway)

12:25 p.m. — Adam Svensson (Canada), Justin Thomas

12:40 p.m. — Max Homa, Michael Kim

12:50 p.m. — Corey Conners (Canada), Gary Woodland

1:00 p.m. — Sunjae Im (South Korea), Brendan Todd

1:10 p.m. — Harris English, Tommy Fleetwood (England)

1:20 — Adam Scott (Australia), Tyrell Hatton (England)

1:30 — Wyndham Clark, Xander Schaueffele

This story was originally published May 6, 2023, 5:50 PM.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The 18th annual Festa Italiana is back in Charlotte on May 21st!On Tuesday Dr. Vincent E. Voci, the originator of the event, joined us with all you need to know, to get in on the fun and the food!

The event's founder tells us: "This is the 18th year that we will have La Festa Italiana. Festa Italiana is a one-of-a-kind charitable event, featuring some of the best Italian cuisines in the Southeast. Enjoy a beautiful day in an elegant setting complete with live music, art, beer, wine, dessert, and incredible food from the area’s best chefs, restaurants, and caterers. It’s an event for the whole famiglia, complete with kid’s activities, and a silent charity auction."

“It’s going to be again a the lovely venue The Gateway in uptown” says Dr. Voci. He goes on to say “The venue is outdoors and covered so whether rain or shine the event will take place.” La Festa will feature the best in Italian cuisine from a number of area restaurants. The beverages will be from local restaurants and bars as well. Buy a ticket and explore the world of gourmet food, Italiana style. The proceeds from La Festa Italiana 2023, like every year, go to St. Anthony’s Foundation of Charlotte, a 501c3 non-profit, which supports organizations dedicated to helping people with intellectual, developmental, and physical special needs and challenges. The St. Anthony’s Foundation of Charlotte, which works with non-profit Nevins Inc. has indeed help to improve people’s lives in our community. Since 2006, FESTA has raised more than $300,000 for Nevins Center. Help us make this year the best Festa Italiana yet.

For more information visit FestaItalianaCharlotte.org.

Charlotte Today is a local lifestyle and entertainment show where you'll learn everything about the Queen City with hosts Mia Atkins and Eugene Robinson on WCNC Charlotte live weekdays at 11 a.m.

From what’s trending to local restaurants, events and entertainment, you’ll find it all on this show.

Charlotte Today also features sponsored content by local and national businesses. Are you a business interested in advertising with us? Go to WCNC.com/advertise or call now (214) 977-6001

If you have a question for the Charlotte Today team, feel free to email them at charlottetoday@wcnc.com

Make sure to follow Charlotte Today on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Get to know hosts Mia and Eugene by reading their bio pages and following them on social media.

Award-winning Charlotte mixologist Bob Peters has joined Built On Hospitality, the parent company behind The Goodyear House and Old Town Kitchen & Cocktails.

In his new role as beverage director, he’s put a fresh spin on cocktail menus at both restaurants, emphasizing fresh, seasonal ingredients and local spirits.

“My inspiration as a chef has always been to showcase simple ingredients with complex flavors, and Bob’s approach to cocktails mirrors that philosophy, making him the perfect addition to the Built On Hospitality team,” said Chris Coleman, chef and partner of Built On Hospitality.

Peters was the 2015 Global Bartender of the Year for The Ritz-Carlton Corp., and has been a featured mixologist at the James Beard House in New York City, Charleston Wine & Food and Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. He’s worked in beverage consulting and has earned awards including the North Carolina Bartender of the Year, and Charlotte Magazine’s BOB Award for Best Mixologist, among other accolades.

Restaurant cocktail menus he’s recently worked on include those at The People’s Market, Yunta and Broken Promises.

Peters said, “This really is a dream job for me. Chris and the team at Built On Hospitality have big dreams, and it’s an honor to stand alongside them and play a role in the way they are transforming our community through the art of entertaining. This is only just the beginning for us.”

Location: 3032 N. Davidson St. Charlotte, NC 28205

Menu

Cuisine: American, Southern

Instagram: @goodyearhouse

Location: 300 Technology Center Way, Suite #203, Rock Hill, SC 29730

Menu

Cuisine: American, Southern

Instagram: @oldtown_rockhill