Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
They’ve never been known as big spenders in free agency, but the Panthers have found some great value on the open market in the past.
With free agency inching closer, let’s take a fond look into the past.
Here are the six best free-agent signings in Carolina Panthers history:
Carolina Panthers salary cap hits for top 51 players on 2023 roster
Now that the bulk of free agency is through, let’s take a look at the salary cap hits for each player on the Carolina Panthers’ 2023 roster.
*Notes:
| Player | Position | Cap hit | Cap percentage |
| Brian Burns | DE | $16.01 million | 6.72 |
| Shaq Thompson | LB | $14.06 million | 5.91 |
| Taylor Moton | OT | $13.53 million | 5.68 |
| Derrick Brown | DT | $7.51 million | 3.16 |
| Donte Jackson | CB | $7.48 million | 3.14 |
| Ikem Ekwonu | OT | $6.27 million | 2.63 |
| Jaycee Horn | CB | $5.76 million | 2.42 |
| Frankie Luvu | LB | $5.47 million | 2.30 |
| Austin Corbett | G | $5.16 million | 2.17 |
| Xavier Woods | S | $4.44 million | 1.86 |
| Ian Thomas | TE | $3.86 million | 1.62 |
| Marquis Haynes Sr. | DE | $3.55 million | 1.49 |
| CJ Henderson | CB | $3.41 million | 1.43 |
| Jeremy Chinn | S | $3.34 million | 1.40 |
| Adam Thielen | WR | $3.33 million | 1.40 |
| Hayden Hurst | TE | $3.14 million | 1.32 |
| Vonn Bell | S | $3.11 million | 1.31 |
| Bradley Bozeman | C | $3.07 million | 1.29 |
| Shy Tuttle | DT | $2.89 million | 1.21 |
| Sam Franklin | S | $2.63 million | 1.10 |
| Yetur Gross-Matos | DE | $2.61 million | 1.10 |
| Miles Sanders | RB | $2.56 million | 1.07 |
| Johnny Hekker | P | $2.15 million | 1.07 |
| Andy Dalton | QB | $2.13 million | 0.90 |
| DJ Chark | WR | $1.87 million | 0.78 |
| Justin McCray | G | $1.78 million | 0.74 |
| DeShawn Williams | DE | $1.75 million | 0.73 |
| Laviska Shenault Jr. | WR | $1.66 million | 0.70 |
| Terrace Marshall Jr. | WR | $1.56 million | 0.66 |
| Brady Christensen | G | $1.41 million | 0.59 |
| Tommy Tremble | TE | $1.34 million | 0.56 |
| Matt Corral | QB | $1.16 million | 0.49 |
| Chuba Hubbard | RB | $1.12 million | 0.47 |
| Henry Anderson | DE | $1.09 million | 0.46 |
| JJ Jansen | LS | $1.09 million | 0.46 |
| Brandon Smith | LB | $1.06 million | 0.44 |
| Bravvion Roy | DT | $1.06 million | 0.44 |
| Stantley Thomas-Oliver III | CB | $1.04 million | 0.43 |
| Keith Taylor Jr. | CB | $1.02 million | 0.43 |
| Herb Miller | CB | $1.01 million | 0.42 |
| Preston Williams | WR | $1.01 million | 0.42 |
| Shi Smith | WR | $983,105 | 0.41 |
| Myles Dorn | CB | $940,000 | 0.39 |
| Jacob Eason | QB | $940,000 | 0.39 |
| Giovanni Ricci | FB | $940,000 | 0.39 |
| Stephen Sullivan | TE | $940,000 | 0.39 |
| Amaré Barno | DE | $916,531 | 0.38 |
| Cade Mays | G | $913,269 | 0.38 |
| Marquan McCall | DT | $875,000 | 0.37 |
| Raheem Blackshear | RB | $875,000 | 0.37 |
| Deonte Brown | G | $875,000 | 0.37 |
[lawrence-related id=671905,671899,671887]
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbxc4awx2fz2sn9 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]
Here are the Panthers who will be entering free agency following 2022 season.
The Carolina Panthers have had a pretty busy offseason thus far, which has included a relatively successful dip in free agency. Plus, they even kept a few of their own in the process.
But what about next spring?
Here are the team’s pending free agents for 2023.
The Carolina Panthers are expected to sign DT DaQuan Jones to a one-year deal.
Not only was it reported that free agent defensive tackle DaQuan Jones would have a visit with the Panthers on Tuesday, he’s already said to be likely to sign on the dotted line.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Jones is expected to sign a one-year deal with the Panthers:
The #Panthers are hosting former #Titans DT DaQuan Jones on a visit, source said, and they are expected to sign him to a 1-year deal. The underrated Jones fills a need for Carolina, a big body up front who has started for Tennessee since 2015.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 20, 2021
Jones, 29, was a fourth-round pick of the Titans in 2014 and has spent his entire career there. A big body up front, Jones had three sacks last season in the middle of their defensive line. Since 2015, he’s held a starter spot with the Titans and in five of those six years he play in all 16 games.
Over the past two seasons, Jones was graded a 77.6 and 67.7 by Pro Football Focus, respectively.
[lawrence-related id=635848,635838,635826,635818]
The Carolina Panthers have signed former BYU receiver Micah Simon.
The Carolina Panthers continue adding to their receiving corps.
According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the Panthers signed former BYU receiver Micah Simon.
Simon was unable to participate in BYU’s pro day in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic obliterated that chance. However, he was able to participate in BYU’s 2021 pro day with former quarterback Zach Wilson. Simon caught passes from the top quarterback prospect and also posted a reported 4.34 40-yard dash time.
The 6-1, 195-pound receiver caught 90 passes for 1,109 yards and five touchdowns in his four seasons with the Cougars. Simon even rushed 11 times for 54 yards and two touchdowns.
Simon’s best season with BYU was in 2019 when he caught 51 passes for 616 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games. The former Dallas (Texas) Bishop Dunne product also rushed five times for 47 yards and two touchdowns.
[listicle id=635227]
Let’s take a look at one thing to like about each one the team has signed since the new league year.
The Panthers have been relatively active in free agency this offseason compared to years past. First, general manager Scott Fitterer cleared a bunch of cap room by restructuring several contracts and getting some dead weight off the books. Then, he started signing a series of low-cost players with the potential to pay off in 2021.
Let’s take a look at one thing to like about each one the team has signed since the new league year.
Jeremy Fowler at ESPN reports the team is signing former Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman.
He’s not Luke Kuechly, but he’ll certainly do. The Carolina Panthers are making their first big move in free agency this year after agreeing to terms with a a couple of offensive line duds during the legal tampering period.
Jeremy Fowler at ESPN reports the team is signing former Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman.
Perryman isn’t a huge name like some of the other top defensive free agents like Richard Sherman. However, he does quality as a pretty significant upgrade at a position that was a point of need for the Panthers.
Jermaine Carter Jr. did a respectable-enough job at middle linebacker once Tahir Whitehead was finally benched last season. That said, Perryman has a far more impressive résumé, notably his skills around the ball.
https://twitter.com/SharpFootball/status/1163220106106810374
Carolina fans probably won’t spend all night howling at the moon over this signing, but it is worth at least a modest celebration. Perryman is a quality linebacker who should definitively improve a young defense that needs a little more experience.
[lawrence-related id=634889]
[vertical-gallery id=634876]
For the Carolina Panthers, it’s the beginning of a critical phase this offseason.
The NFL’s legal tampering period will begin in one hour, allowing teams and agents to “begin” negotiations ahead of the official start of free agency at 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 17th. For the Carolina Panthers, it’s the beginning of a critical phase this offseason.
Not every position can be addressed in the draft and this team has several critical needs. They won’t have a ton of money to make a big splash signing, but after some shrewd cap moves they should have enough for a few mid-level deals to help round out their depth chart. Before the reports start coming in, let’s review where the team stands in regards to the salary cap, their own pending free agents, positions of need and potential targets.
Panthers potential 2021 free agent targets: Examining former Chiefs left tackle Eric Fisher.
We have our first truly shocking cuts of the 2021 NFL offseason. Today, the Chiefs have released both left tackle Eric Fisher and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz. The moves save Kansas City over $18 million in salary cap space and will likely put Patrick Mahomes’ scrambling ability to the test. They still have a pretty long Super Bowl window, though.
Schwartz is expected to retire after missing 10 games last season and undergoing back surgery. However, Fisher should get a ton of interest from around the league. The Panthers have a rather large hole to fill at left tackle, so they should be one of the teams who gives him a call.
It’s not every day that a former No. 1 overall pick becomes available and for good reason. Fisher has been among the league’s top offensive tackles since he was drafted in 2013 and is still going strong. Pro Football Focus gave him a high 80.0 overall grade last year. Fisher missed half of the 2019 season due to injury but aside from that he’s only sat out three other games in his career.
Fisher just turned 30 years old and he has already appeared in 117 regular season games plus several deep playoff runs. While he’s been relatively durable since entering the NFL, that’s still a lot of mileage. Fisher probably has several good years left, but it’s not unreasonable to assume that his game will begin to decline over the next couple of seasons.
While it’s tough to say what he can earn on the open market, Fisher’s cap number last year was over $15 million, which is a good place to begin negotiating. That’s tough to swing for a team that just invested $13.75 million in their right tackle and still needs to find a way to pay Curtis Samuel. Fisher would be a tremendous get, though. After Trent Williams he’s the best OL on the market this year.
[lawrence-related id=634628]
[vertical-gallery id=634548]
Carolina Panthers use franchise tag on offensive lineman Taylor Moton.
The Carolina Panthers will be using the franchise tag on offensive tackle Taylor Moton. That news come via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday as the deadline to use the tag on players, league-wide, was set to pass at 4 p.m.
The tag will now give the Panthers and Moton more time to agree on a long-term extension. At minimal, Moton is locked up for the 2021 season under a salary cap figure of somewhere between $13.5-14 million, per Schefter.
Per Spotrac, prior to Moton being tagged, the Panthers would have $37.2M in salary cap space this offseason assuming the 2021 cap is $185M. Due to COVID-19 keeping fans out of stadiums last season, the cap number is going to fall from last year’s number of $198.2M. The league has yet to set the official cap number.
In 2020, Pro Football Focus graded Moton an 81.2 overall mark. That was good for the 13th best tackle in the NFL last season, according to the football analytics outlet.
The 26-year-old was a second-round pick of the Panthers in 2017. In four seasons, Moton has not missed a single game in his career to date, including the past three years, where he made 48-straight starts.
[lawrence-related id=634543,634526,634521,634189]
