Carolina Panthers free agency: The ultimate guide to roster changes, signings
It’s that time again.
Free agency begins with the new league year Wednesday. After plenty of talk, hypothetical pairings and rumors, teams will have to be under the salary cap for the 2021 season, and some will be ready to make big moves.
Several Panthers remain set to hit free agency, and most will explore their options. Which teams are willing to — or able to — offer prime free agents any money remains to be seen.
Here’s a look at what to expect from the Panthers, positions of need and the remaining free agents.
Key dates
March 15-17: Teams can begin contacting and entering into negotiations with players who are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents — any player with four or more accrued seasons and an expiring contract. They are free to negotiate and then officially sign with any team once the league year starts.
March 17: New league year officially begins at 4 p.m. All unsigned players become free agents and trades can process.
April 19: Offseason workouts for all teams with returning head coaches — like the Panthers — can begin.
April 29-May 1: 2021 NFL draft in Cleveland
Approach to free agency
The Panthers are going to be patient in free agency this year. Although the team continues to clear up some cap space by restructuring the contracts of players like linebacker Shaq Thompson and running back Christian McCaffrey, Carolina used a significant amount of its money to sign right tackle Taylor Moton to his franchise tag — $13.754 million.
There is some money to work with to add middle and lower tier players, however. The team has more than $29 million in cap room, per the NFL Players Association’s public salary cap report. $3.5 million will be added to the team’s salary cap once safety Tre Boston is officially released following the start of the league year.
But new general manager Scott Fitterer’s plan is to avoid being aggressive and to try and see what talent is available after the first days of free agency. Don’t expect big splashes or luxury signings; this is still a building team.
“There will be a rush at the beginning, where a lot of money is spent on some of the top guys, and you really want to be selective on who you go about (signing),” Fitterer said Wednesday. “We’ll talk to a lot of agents, starting on Monday, and see where the market is. However, I think this might be one of those years, that if you just wait and are patient, you might be able to get quite a few good players in that middle class and they get pinched by the cap this year.
“Even though, we’ve created a lot of cap room, this is not a year we’re going to go wild spending money. We’re going to be very judicious in how we go about this.”
The Panthers will eventually need to set aside a bit of money to sign players selected in the draft, and signing Moton may end up being the flashiest free agent move the team makes. But the team still h a few positions it needs to address in some capacity in the coming weeks. The fact that more players are being forced to sign cheaper, short-term deals due to the reduced cap this year could benefit Carolina.
Positions to address in free agency
Most obvious holes: Offensive line and cornerback
Fitterer and head coach Matt Rhule individually mentioned a pair of positions as those of need this week — cornerback and offensive line. It makes sense for the Panthers to add veteran players at both.
With Rasul Douglas and Corn Elder both free agents, the Panthers lack depth at corner and do not have a clear starter opposite Donte Jackson, who is entering the last year of his rookie deal. Troy Pride Jr., the team’s 2020 fourth-round pick, is still developing and the team could use a veteran presence.
On the offensive line, Carolina needs depth across the board, and there are no obvious starters at either guard position, and left tackle isn’t settled. The Panthers would like to bring back guard John Miller to bolster the position. Dennis Daley is likely to compete for one of the guard spots or left tackle, and Trent Scott and Greg Little will be among the candidates for a shot at left tackle, as well.
Fitterer did not mention upcoming free agent Russell Okung when discussing the plan for the position and his frequent injuries and age, 32, make him less likely to return. But the GM did speak of the number of offensive linemen in the draft.
“We (signed) Trent Scott this offseason, really, he played well when he had an opportunity last year, Daley played well when he had an opportunity, we’d like to see Little, step up and provide competition at that spot and obviously the draft has quite a few tackles in it,” Fittere said. “As of right now, the more competition we can bring into that position the better.”
Potential fits: G James Carpenter, G Mike Iupati, G Nick Easton, CB Quinton Dunbar, CB Shaquill Griffin, CB Kevin King
Other positions of need to watch for: Linebacker, defensive tackle, tight end
There are multiple spots on the roster that do not have a clear starter under contract for the 2021 season. In many cases, it will be logical for the Panthers to make a small investment in a player that could contribute. One example is at linebacker, with Tahir Whitehead expected to move on after finishing last season on the bench.
The goal will be to supplement positions of need, to some extent, prior to the draft.
“We want to go into the draft without a lot of needs,” Fitterer said. “If we can fill a need in free agency, go into the draft and just pick the best available player, that would be ideal for how we how we go about this.”
Potential fits: LB Denzel Perryman, LB Kwon Alexander, DT Poona Ford, DT Larry Ogunjobi, TE Kyle Rudolph, TE Hunter Henry
Re-signed by Panthers
▪ WR Brandon Zylstra — one-year deal, $920,000
Zylstra was slated to become a restricted free agent. He is a special teams contributor and gives the team depth at wide receiver.
▪ WR Keith Kirkwood — one-year deal, $780,000
Also scheduled to become a restricted free agent, re-signing Kirkwood provides additional depth at wide receiver with uncertainty surrounding whether the team can bring back Curtis Samuel, who is expected to test free agency. Kirkwood’s ability to stay healthy is the biggest question mark. He missed most of last season after breaking his clavicle and then re-injuring it during the season.
▪ K Joey Slye — one-year deal, $850,000
Slye will have competition in training camp with kicker Lirim Hajrullahu.
▪ TE Colin Thompson — one-year deal, $780,000
Thompson provides depth at tight end and is a special teams contributor.
▪ T Trent Scott — one-year deal, $920,000 base with a $730,000 bonus
After starting four games last season, Scott will provide valuable depth on the offensive line that still has plenty of question marks. He was slated to become a restricted free agent.
▪ LS J.J. Jansen — one-year deal, $1.05 million
Jansen, 35, has played in every regular season game for the Panthers since 2009.
▪ RT Taylor Moton —franchise tag, $13.754 million
Moton and the Panthers have until July 15 to try and work out a long-term deal.
Released by Panthers
More on the Panthers’ cap cutting moves: Panthers releasing Tre Boston, 2 other veterans to clear cap space ahead of free agency
▪ S Tre Boston
Boston will be officially released after the start of the league year to reduce the cap implications.
▪ DE Stephen Weatherly
Weatherly re-signed with the Minnesota Vikings after one year in Carolina. He spent the first four years of his career in Minnesota after the Vikings drafted him in 2016.
▪ P Michael Palardy
Palardy’s time with the Panthers ended after he spent all of last season on injured reserve due to a torn ACL suffered prior to the start of the season. The punter, a South Florida native, is set to sign a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins.
▪ DT Kawann Short
One of the expect cap casualties coming into the offseason, the Panthers would like to bring back Short if possible, but he has received interest from a few teams.
▪ DT Zach Kerr
The Panthers will save $1.295 million by moving on from the veteran defensive tackle. Kerr spent only one season with the Panthers. In 13 games, he recorded two sacks and 32 total tackles. Carolina will look to free agency and the draft to provide more depth at the position, which now has limited depth.
Panthers’ free agents
Players that are most likely to return:
RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
▪ DE Efe Obada
Very likely to return. Obada switched agents recently, which slowed the process, but both sides would like him to remain a Panther. He showed he can play on the inside of the line, as well, last year.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
▪ G John Miller
With guard among the biggest holes on the Panthers’ roster, Miller is someone that the team would like to bring back. The veteran guard signed to a one-year deal last season and started 14 games.
Remaining players scheduled to be free agents:
These players are less likely to re-sign with the Panthers prior to the new league year, but some could still come back if they do not find what they are looking for from other teams in free agency. With players outside of the top free agents expected to get lesser offers this year, Carolina may have more opportunities to re-sign players it would like at the right price.
Check out more information on these free agents here.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
▪ WR Curtis Samuel — signing with Washington Football Team
▪ WR Pharoh Cooper
Breaking down the options at wide receiver: Replacing Curtis Samuel? What’s next for Panthers receivers if he moves on
▪ RB Mike Davis — signing with Atlanta Falcons
Analysis: Panthers’ options to back up McCaffrey with Mike Davis being a free agent
▪ TE Chris Manhertz — signing with Jacksonville Jaguars
Panthers need to address TE position. What options are in the draft, free agency?
▪ C Tyler Larsen — signing with Washington Football Team
▪ LT Russell Okung
▪ G Chris Reed — signing with Indianapolis Colts
▪ OL Michael Schofield
▪ FB Alex Armah — signing with New Orleans Saints
▪ LB Julian Stanford
▪ LB Adarius Taylor
▪ LB Tahir Whitehead
▪ CB Rasul Douglas
▪ CB Corn Elder — signing with Detroit Lions
This story was originally published March 15, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
