Category: Latest Panthers News

4 Panthers receive votes for AP’s 2024 NFL All-Pro Teams

The Panthers haven’t had an All-Pro since Christian McCaffrey in 2019. But these four players earned some recognition for their 2024 seasons . . .

Not one member of the Carolina Panthers, for a fifth straight year, was selected to either of The Associated Press’ All-Pro Teams. A handful of their players did, however, get a bit of recognition.

Four Panthers received at least one vote from the national panel of 50 media members—cornerback Jaycee Horn (one), running back/kick returner Raheem Blackshear (nine), linebacker/special teamer Jon Rhattigan (one) and long snapper JJ Jansen (two).

Horn played a career-high 15 games in 2024 while also recording bests in combined tackles (68), tackles for a loss (five), sacks (2.0) and passes defensed (13). The fourth-year defender and former eighth overall draft pick was selected to his first Pro Bowl a week ago.

Blackshear returned the most kickoffs (31) for the second-most return yardage (791) in the NFL this season. He averaged 25.5 yards per attempt.

Rhattigan played 369 of his 370 total snaps on special teams. He tallied 12 tackles.

Jansen ended his 16th pro campaign by playing in his 260th straight game. He is the seventh player in league history to appear in at least 260 games for one team.

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Report: Panthers make several coaching changes to defensive staff

The Panthers are reportedly parting ways with several defensive coaches.

Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero may be retaining his job heading into the 2025 season, but a handful of his assistants won’t be sticking around with him.

According to ESPN senior NFL report Jeremy Fowler, the team is making several coaching changes to the defensive staff. Fowler posted on Wednesday that the Panthers will be parting ways with outside linebackers coach Tem Lukabu, secondary coach Bert Watts and defensive quality control coach Bobby Maffei.

Head coach Dave Canales, after affirming Evero’s return on Monday, didn’t rule out changes to the staff.

“We have a lot of things to evaluate, you know, over the next couple of days and into the offseason to reflect on our schemes, to reflect on personnel, to reflect on the guys we have here going forward,” Canales told reporters. “There’s a lot of important conversations to be had on all of those factors and that will be great to have.”

The Panthers set a new NFL record for most points allowed in a season (534) in 2024.

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Panthers GM Dan Morgan names players he wants to keep in Carolina for the long term

Panthers GM Dan Morgan has a few building blocks in mind.

The building blocks for the Carolina Panthers are beginning to stack up.

President of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan returned to the microphone on Monday for his post-regular season press conference. He addressed the future of cornerback Jaycee Horn, who will be entering the 2025 campaign on his fifth-year option.

“Jaycee is obviously the focal point of the defense, somebody that we’re gonna want here long term and we’re gonna work on getting him a long-term deal,” Morgan stated.

Horn, who missed 29 of a possible 51 outings over his first three NFL seasons, bucked the unfortunate trend in his fourth to become a first-time Pro Bowl selection. The 2021 eighth overall pick, even in his limited appearances prior to 2024, has proven that he’s one of the game’s very top corners.

Morgan was also asked about Carolina’s first-round pick in the following draft, left tackle Ikem Ekwonu.

“Yeah, I think Ickey fits right in there,” he replied. “We think a lot of Ickey. I think he’s got better every single year. I think he made strides this season. I think [offensive line coach] Joe Gilbert and his staff have done a really good job with the O-line in general. So, yeah, I see Ickey as a piece that we want around here for a long time.”

Ekwonu improved from a disappointing sophomore campaign the year prior. The Charlotte, N.C. native was given a 66.2 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, besting his 62.3 from 2023, as well as a career-high 80.5 run-blocking mark.

The Panthers will have to decide if they want to exercise Ekwonu’s fifth-year option in the spring. (Spoiler: They will.)

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Panthers GM Dan Morgan is asked if he’s looking to add a ‘big-time receiver’ this offseason

Will the Panthers try to make a run at a “big-time” receiver this offseason?

With strong endorsements from his owner, his head coach and the greatest player in franchise history, quarterback Bryce Young seems to be the “guy” for the Carolina Panthers. So now that that’s settled, will the team’s front office try to find “the guy” for him?

President of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan hit the lectern for his post-regular season press conference on Monday. Amongst a bevy of questions regarding the offseason, Morgan was asked if he’ll have his sights on acquiring a “big-time receiver” in the coming months.

“Every option’s on the table,” he replied to Joe Person of The Athletic. “Whether receiver, whether corner, offensive linemen, linebacker, D-linemen—like, we’re gonna look to just add really good football players. It’s not gonna be specific to any position or need.”

That position may once again be a need for Carolina. The only wideouts who will be under team control heading into the new league year are 34-year-old Adam Thielen and soon-to-be second-year youngsters Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker.

If Morgan and the Panthers are shooting for the big time, they might be able to take their shot at signing Cincinnati Bengals standout and Clemson University product Tee Higgins in free agency.

If it’s the draft, where they hold the eighth overall pick, Carolina may be in range for the likes of Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan or Missouri’s Luther Burden III near the top of the first round.

But for now, and just how it’s always been for Morgan’s regime, everything remains on the table.

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Panthers GM Dan Morgan talks approach for free agency, draft in 2025

Panthers GM Dan Morgan wants to be “smart, but aggressive” in attacking the 2025 offseason.

The Carolina Panthers are looking to be smart, but aggressive in their approach for the 2025 offseason.

President of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan put a bow on his team’s 2024 season in a talk with reporters on Monday. He was asked what he thinks will be the focal point in the front office’s mission to improve the roster over the next few months.

“I think the focal point will be to bring in very good football players,” Morgan replied. “Wherever those players are at, either side of the ball, we’re gonna look to add to, obviously, the defense and the offensive side. So, we just wanna create a lot of depth and competition on this team, and that’s gonna start with free agency.”

Much of that work could come to the defensive side, where the Panthers allowed the most yards per game (404.5) after finishing fourth overall in 2023. Carolina also allowed the most points ever in a single season (534), a feat they reached on the Atlanta Falcons’ 38th point of yesterday’s overtime win.

Morgan was also asked about how he’ll look to attack the draft, especially with a top-10 selection in his pocket.

“We have a process,” he stated. “We’re gonna be really thorough in that process. I think, again, just going back to previous conversations—we just have to draft really good players and playmakers, guys that are difference-makers, especially in the top 10. So, whoever that guy is, we’re gonna feel like is gonna be a difference-maker for us. Yeah, we’ll be excited about that.”

The Panthers, at 5-12, will pick from the eighth overall position of the 2025 NFL draft.

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Panthers GM Dan Morgan gives his thoughts on team’s 2024 season

Panthers GM Dan Morgan on his team’s 2024 season: “I do feel like we’re making a lot of progress.”

Carolina Panthers president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan declined to put any expectations on his team’s 2024 season back in July. And now that the season has ended, he’s putting those non-expectations into perspective.

Morgan, a day removed from the Panthers’ Week 18 win over the Atlanta Falcons, spoke with reporters this afternoon. He began the presser with his thoughts on the year.

“Obviously, not the season that we really wanted in terms of the record,” he stated. “However, I do feel like we’re making a lot of progress. Things are trending in a really good direction. I feel like the culture’s changing here, guys are starting to feel what it’s like to win. We only have five wins, but it feels like the momentum is kinda building. I think guys are feeling good about the direction the team is going.”

The team went from two wins in 2023 to five here in 2024. Four of those five victories came over the final 10 games, a stretch that even included near-upsets of a couple of Super Bowl favorites in the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.

That run also played host to the emergence of second-year quarterback Bryce Young. Young, who had been benched after just two games, returned to the starting lineup in Week 8 and proceeded to become one of the league’s top playmakers at the position.

Morgan later added that Young’s breakout, as well as a few other encouraging developments, can be partly attributed to the work of another guy who just finished up the first season in his new job—head coach Dave Canales.

“I think Coach Canales—he did a really good job with this team,” Morgan said. “I think you saw guys get better on the offensive side of the ball. Dave and his staff have done a really good job with Bryce, with young wideouts out there. Just kinda developing these guys, growing these guys. So, again, I feel like we’re headed in a really good direction that we’re all really excited about right now.”

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Panthers sign 10 players to reserve/future contracts on Monday

The Panthers have signed 10 players to reserve/future deals ahead of the 2025 season.

Even after closing out their 2024 campaign on a winning note yesterday, the Carolina Panthers still had a bit of work to do on their “Victory Monday.”

According to ESPN’s David Newton, the team signed 10 players to reserve/future deals this afternoon. Those players are as follows:

  • RB Emani Bailey
  • WR T.J. Luther
  • WR Dax Milne
  • TE Dominique Dafney
  • TE Jordan Matthews
  • G Ja’Tyre Carter
  • G Brandon Walton
  • C Andrew Raym
  • LB Kenny Dyson
  • LB Thomas Incoom

All 10 players have spent time on Carolina’s practice squad in 2024, with five receiving at least one appearance for the team during the regular season. Most recently, Dyson and Incoom both appeared in Sunday’s 44-38 victory over the Atlanta Falcons—with the former recording 23 total snaps and the latter 19 total snaps.

Reserve/future deals are essentially advance agreements, placing players in until the start of the new league year—when rosters expand back to 90 men. The players signed today will not count towards the current (and locked) 53-man roster.

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Panthers WR Adam Thielen to contemplate retirement

Panthers WR Adam Thielen when asked if he’s considering retirement: “Yeah, for sure.”

Carolina Panthers wideout Adam Thielen, just like he has for the past few years, isn’t taking the game of football for granted.

The 34-year-old receiver just closed the book on yet another productive season. His 11th NFL campaign, one that shortened by six games due to an hamstring injury, still saw the two-time Pro Bowler go for 615 yards and five touchdowns over 10 outings.

But will Mr. Reliable be back for a 12th NFL campaign?

On Monday, less than 24 hours after Carolina’s victorious regular-season finale, Thielen was asked if he’s considering retirement.

“Yeah, for sure,” he replied.

He explained.

“I mean, every year I think I consider it,” Thielen continued. “It’s no different than the last three years. Nothing has changed in the last three years as far as the process of the next two weeks. I’m gonna take two weeks to be around my family, get my mind away from football, see how my body feels in two, three weeks and then be very clear of  my intentions.

“But again, that’s not a new thing—in Year 12. It’s something that I’ve contemplated probably since Year 10. After the season, like . . . is this right for my family? Is it right for me to keep playing? Is it right for the team?”

If it’s right for everyone, Thielen will be entering the final season of a three-year, $25 million deal in 2025.

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Panthers HC Dave Canales explains decision to retain DC Ejiro Evero for 2025

Panthers HC Dave Canales explained why the team is keeping DC Ejiro Evero, even after a historically-bad campaign.

Despite a historically-bad campaign, the Carolina Panthers are planning on retaining defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero for next season. But why?

Head coach Dave Canales, who affirmed the decision with reporters on Monday, explained his outlook on Evero and the defense moving forward.

“Yeah, I’ve played against this defense,” Canales stated. “I’ve played against it in Seattle with the Rams for a bunch of years. I played against it twice last year. I know what this defense will look like. And I’m committed to that, Ejiro’s committed to that.

“So, it’s about developing the players we brought in. It’s about evaluating our schemes—so we have to be able to look at our schemes and be really critical of all those things as well. And it’s about seeing who’s out there to challenge our roster, who can help us to get this defense to the place that we know we can.”

Evero’s first year with the team, 2023, was a success. The Panthers allowed just 293.9 total yards per game—the fourth-fewest in the NFL that season.

His second year, however, has proved to be quite the difference. Not only did Carolina set a new NFL record for points allowed in a season (534), but they were also the only team to give up over 400 total yards per game (404.5) and they relinquished, by a 38.4-yard margin, the most rushing yards per game (179.8).

To be fair to Evero, the group did suffer from a handful of key injuries. The Panthers lost Pro Bowl defensive tackle Derrick Brown after Week 1, team captain and linebacker Shaq Thompson after Week 4 and Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn after Week 16.

But as Canales stated, there’s certainly some work to be done—from all angles of the unit.

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Panthers planning to retain DC Ejiro Evero for 2025 season

Panthers HC Dave Canales: “Ejiro [Evero] will be our defensive coordinator next year.”

According to head coach Dave Canales, the Carolina Panthers will not be looking for a new defensive coordinator this offseason.

Yesterday’s feel-good win in the 2024 season finale featured a bit of feel-bad history, as the Panthers capped off their defensively-inept campaign by relinquishing 38 points to the Atlanta Falcons. That mark pushed their total to 534, a new NFL record for points allowed in a single season.

So, will that prove to be Ejiro Evero’s final stand as the team’s defensive coordinator?

Canales, on Monday, was asked if there’ll be changes at the position.

“Not right now,” Canales replied. “Ejiro we will back with us as our defensive coordinator. We have a lot of things to evaluate over the next couple of days. And then, certainly into the offseason, to reflect on our schemes, to reflect on our personnel, to reflect on the guys we have here going forward.”

He then reaffirmed the statement.

“Ejiro will be our defensive coordinator next year,” Canales said upon clarifying his reply.

Along with the dubious points record, the Panthers also allowed the most total yards per game (404.5) by a 14.6-yard margin and the most rushing yards per game (179.8) by a 38.4-yard margin. Carolina’s defense in 2023, in their first year under Evero, ranked fourth overall.

Evero will be entering the final season of his three-year deal in 2025.

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