Source: Panthers offered Dwayne Haskins a contract. He chose the Steelers instead

Quarterback Dwayne Haskins visited with the Carolina Panthers first, but he has found a new home elsewhere. He has signed a one-year reserve/future contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers after a visit Thursday.

The Panthers previously had him in to meet with the team Jan. 11 and offered the quarterback a contract after the meeting,`per a source with direct knowledge of the situation. That meeting took place prior to the team hiring new general manager Scott Fitterer.

However, Haskins opted to go to Pittsburgh instead, and join a quarterback room that, as of now, includes Ben Roethlisberger. The future at quarterback for the Panthers remains unknown with the most established veteran, Teddy Bridgewater, not guaranteed the starting job in 2021.

Haskins, the 15th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, was waived by Washington on Dec. 28, a day after the team’s 20-13 loss to the Panthers. He was benched in the fourth quarter of that game for former Carolina quarterback Taylor Heinicke.

While he went unclaimed on waivers, the Panthers were among several teams to express interest in the quarterback days after Washington had moved on from him.

In 16 games played over the past two years, Haskins completed 60.1% of his passes for 2,804 yards, 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He is 3-10 as a starter.

With Carolina holding the eighth overall pick, they will be out of contention for the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft unless they trade up. Matt Rhule and the Panthers’ staff will be coaching in this year’s Senior Bowl, which will give them additional opportunity to take a look at some of the quarterbacks that will be available later in the draft.

Team owner David Tepper said last month that quarterback is a position that will be evaluated this offseason.

“I think when you get to quarterbacks and NFL in general, you always want to try to figure out: Do you have the best that’s in the position ... right now?” Tepper said. “And that’s constant evaluation and re-evaluation of that. And that’s what we’ll constantly go through.”

Former Panthers coach Ron Rivera demoted Haskins to the third string behind Kyle Allen and Alex Smith during the regular season. He was also fined twice for COVID-19-related violations, including a $40,000 fine after partying maskless following a loss to the Seattle Seahawks in December, as reported by The Washington Post. Haskins was stripped of his captaincy in Week 16, but still started against the Panthers.

Throughout his first season in the NFL, Rhule has preached the importance of establishing a culture of dependability and a focus on football in Carolina, which contradicts with some of Haskins’ recent behavior. Panthers practice squad cornerback Josh Hawkins was released soon after images came out of him on social media partying without a mask. Multiple Panthers were fined by the team for breaking COVID-19 protocols in December.

“You want to kind of build this culture of competition, where everyone’s holding themselves accountable to get just a little bit better every day,” Rhule said about building the team. “... What we need is we need a work ethic and a toughness and a brand.”