Running back Tyler Gaffney hasn’t finished classes at Stanford, but he’s already signed his first professional contract.
The Panthers announced that Gaffney agreed to a four-year deal with the team during this weekend’s rookie minicamp. He will have to return to Stanford until school’s out, forcing him to miss offseason time with the team.
“Stanford is on the quarter system, so it will be like June 9 before we see him again,” General Manager Dave Gettleman said, via the team’s website. “That hurts. That makes it difficult to work.”
It’s not the first delay Gaffney’s experienced in his football career. He played a year of minor league baseball before returning to Stanford and running for 1,709 yards and 21 touchdowns on 330 carries last season. He joins a crowded group in the backfield and he’ll start trying to take touches from DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, Mike Tolbert and Kenjon Barner once he’s back with the team.