The Panthers are in the midst of perhaps the most dramatic offseason in their short history, having already hired a new coach and losing star veteran players such as Greg Olsen and Luke Kuechly. These losses have rapidly changed the team’s salary cap picture over the course of the past few weeks.
At the moment, the Panthers’ top 51 contracts account for approximately $176 million of the $210 million projected cap, according to Over The Cap. This leaves the team with roughly $33 million to work with the depleted roster this offseason. That figure does not include the recent one-year extensions for Joey Slye, Cole Luke and Reggie Bonnafon.
Carolina is expected to sign cornerback James Bradberry to an extension which will significantly eat into that space.
The team could free up an additional $9.5 million with the release of running back Mike Davis and defensive tackle Dontari Poe, although the release of the latter might leave the team extremely thin at the position.
The Panthers may be entering a rough period in the future, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The unit currently has 12 players set to hit free agency.
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