Panthers players have big bonuses tied to showing up for offseason workouts
While NFL teams with new head coaches started their offseason programs last week, the rest of the league will begin voluntary training this week.
Carolina Panthers players reported to the team’s facility at Bank of America Stadium for the first day of the voluntary offseason program on Monday. An exact number of players is unknown but a much larger turnout is expected compared to the past two COVID-19 restricted offseasons.
Many key Panthers players are already in Charlotte and have reported, including Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore, Derrick Brown, Robby Anderson, Taylor Moton, Frankie Luvu, Donte Jackson and Chuba Hubbard.
Several veteran players have workout bonuses tied to attending voluntary offseason workouts that will make them more likely to attend. Many Panthers players are cashing in on their large workout bonuses this week; Shaq Thompson, Anderson, McCaffrey, Moton, Moore, Jackson, Luvu, Austin Corbett, Bradley Bozeman and Cory Littleton all have workout bonuses of $200,000 or more, according to Overthecap.com
NFL workout bonuses often are added to veteran contracts to entice players to report to the team facility for workout sessions, meetings and organized team activities from April-June. They typically require about 90 percent attendance to trigger the bonus.
The Panthers’ offseason program will run through June 16 when the team will break before training camp. Training camp is set to open in late July.
The three-phase offseason program is entirely voluntary, except for the mandatory minicamp, which will be held June 14-16. Since the NFL lifted its COVID-19 restrictions, the Panthers will be able to work as a large group again unlike the past two offseasons. In 2020 and 2021, limitations included groups as small as four or five players in the weight room and no huddling during throwing sessions. Some teams canceled their workouts altogether.
The offseason program consists of three phases. Phase 1 started Monday and includes only meetings, strength and conditioning and rehab. The second phase (early May) spans three weeks and features on-field work but no offense vs. defense drills. Phase 3 (late May) lasts four weeks and is known as OTA practices (organized team activities). There can’t be any live contact, but teams can do 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. Phase 3 also includes the mandatory minicamp, which the Panthers will hold June 14-16.
PANTHERS OTA DATES
▪ May 23
▪ May 24
▪ May 26
▪ May 31
▪ June 1
▪ June 3
▪ June 6
▪ June 7
▪ June 8
▪ June 9
This story was originally published April 19, 2022 at 12:30 PM.
