Tag: Taylor Moton extension

PFF predicts Panthers re-sign OT Taylor Moton to 5-year, $82.5 million deal

How much might a Moton extension cost?

Today is the first day NFL teams can designate players for a franchise tag. If the Panthers use theirs, the clear favorite is right tackle Taylor Moton. He is their most important pending free agent and also likely to be the most expensive. If the Panthers can’t reach a long-term deal by the new league year, they’re expected to use the tag on him, per David Newton at ESPN.

A long-term extension would be better for Carolina’s cap room in 2021, though. How much might a Moton extension cost? Pro Football Focus is predicting they’ll re-sign Moton to a five-year, $82.5 million contract which would include $45 million guaranteed.

“Moton has been the model of consistency over the last three years, grading “in the green” every year as a starter. He performs well in the parts of offensive line play that translate well moving forward, including ranking in the 90th percentile in PFF pass-blocking grade on true pass sets since 2018.”

Moton is coming off an excellent 2020 season. He was Carolina’s highest-graded player of the year by PFF and only allowed a 3.4% pressure rate.

$82.5M sounds like a lot to us non-millionaires, but Moton would be worth every penny. In addition to a consistent high level of blocking, Moton has proven remarkably durable. He has yet to miss a game in his career and has played at least 99% of the team’s offensive snaps the last three seasons.

If the Panthers do work out a deal with Moton soon, it would give them a better chance to also re-sign WR/RB Curtis Samuel, who is their next-most important pending free agent.

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Report: Still no contract talks between Panthers and Taylor Moton

According to a report by Joe Person at the Athletic, there have still been no contract extension talks between Carolina and right tackle Taylor Moton.

The Carolina Panthers have the week off. It seems like a good time to catch up around the office on some long-term projects that need to be addressed. The most important item on the team’s to-do list remains unchecked, though. In fact, the Panthers haven’t even gotten started.

According to a report by Joe Person at the Athletic, there have still been no contract extension talks between Carolina and right tackle Taylor Moton.

Since he became a full-time starter in 2018, Moton has been blocking at a very high level. If he had been signed to an extension at any point over the last year and a half it would likely have saved Carolina a lot of money down the road. Now, the team runs the risk of either having to hit Moton with the franchise tag, or possibly see him cash in with another team in free agency in March.

Every week they wait the pricetag goes up. According to Pro Football Focus, Moton has only allowed 12 pressures all season. That’s tied for the second-lowest number among qualified offensive tackles.

Marty Hurney has made some brilliant picks in the first round of the draft during his two tenures as GM. However, the way he’s gone about extensions has rightly drawn a fair amount of criticism. During his first run, he handed out several ill-advised, player-friendly contracts that decimated the team’s salary cap situation. Now, he’s been prioritizing the wrong positions.

Last offseason, the Panthers paid big money to Christian McCaffrey (four years, $64 million) and Shaq Thompson (four years, $54 million). Meanwhile, the team’s top cornerback James Bradberry was allowed to leave in free agency. He signed a bargain of a three-year, $43.5 million contract with Dave Gettleman’s Giants and has had a breakout year, becoming one of the league’s best shutdown corners.

Allowing Moton to walk would qualify as an even worse decision than letting Bradberry leave.

The Panthers have an analytics department, so they should know better than to pay running backs and off-ball linebackers over corners, tackles and wide receivers like Curtis Samuel, who is also due for an extension. For whatever reason, there’s a major disconnect between how contenders are built in the modern NFL and how Carolina continues to do business under Hurney.

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Panthers Highlights: OT Taylor Moton shares teaching tape moment

Panthers Highlights: OT Taylor Moton shares teaching tape moment.

Here’s one for the offensive line nerds.

Panthers right tackle Taylor Moton shared this beautiful backside block on Twitter this morning. Moton says he led his high school in rebounding for a reason.

Odds are in today’s NBA he would be called for a foul, there. It’s exceptional technique for football, though.

This is just one more example of Moton doing everything the right way. Heading into the 2020 season, he is the player on the roster most deserving of a contract extension.

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Underrated Panthers OT Taylor Moton comments on contract situation

Heading into the 2020 season, no Panthers player is more deserving of a contract extension than right tackle Taylor Moton.

Heading into the 2020 season, no Panthers player is more deserving of a contract extension than right tackle Taylor Moton. Moton (6-foot-5, 325 pounds) didn’t come into the NFL as a stud right tackle, but he has developed into a well above average starter and one of the most underrated offensive linemen in the league. This year, Pro Football Focus has him ranked No. 20 at his position.

During his Zoom call with the media today, Moton was asked about a potential contract extension. He deferred on the subject, saying he trusts his agent and is focused on being the best OT he can be.

A textbook answer from a smart student of the game.

So, where do things stand?

According to a report by David Newton at ESPN, there are ongoing talks between Moton’s team and the Panthers. Nothing is imminent, though.

Newton may not be the average Carolina fan’s favorite reporter. It is worth noting he predicted the Panthers would move on from Cam Newton and sign Teddy Bridgewater a long time before it actually happened.

Either way, Moton deserves his money and provided he doesn’t get injured his price will continue to go up every week they don’t extend him.

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