With free agency looming, Panthers’ longtime contributors know future is uncertain
Tommy Tremble looked around the locker room on Monday and knew that it could be the last time that he saw a lot of his friends in the same building for a while. Maybe forever.
The 24-year-old tight end had just made a huge touchdown grab in the Panthers’ season-finale overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons. But he is set to enter free agency in March. As with any team, there will be plenty of turnaround this offseason. And the 2021 draft class — which also features Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn and leading rusher Chuba Hubbard — has a good chance of being broken up in the aftermath, especially following a 5-12 slate.
While Hubbard and Horn are locked into contracts beyond this past season, Tremble and offensive lineman Brady Christensen are set to test free agency (read: the unknown) for the first time ever.
Tremble and Christensen spent part of “clean-up day” reminiscing about their arrival together as part of the same rookie class. There were 11 prospects originally selected in that group, and only four remained on the payroll as of the season finale against Atlanta.
In the NFL, a career can last as long as a cup of coffee. For several of Tremble and Christensen’s draft classmates, their quick stints with the Panthers probably felt more like a shot of Jägermeister.
“I love my draft class,” Tremble said. “Like Brady said, we thought these (draft classmates) were going to be our best friends forever, and it’s hard to stay in this business, it’s a tough business.
“But the guys who are still here, I know everyone’s got success for them waiting in the future. I’m excited for everyone here, love those guys to death, and Chuba already got the ball started (with a contract extension), and he got it started early, so I’m excited for him and excited for all my guys. It’s going to be a fun offseason.”
NFL free agency: Brady Christensen and the art of compartmentalization
Christensen, 28, has played all over the Panthers’ offensive line.
As a rookie, he worked at every position but center — even starting games at left tackle, right tackle and right guard. In 2022, he was the starting left guard. And in 2023, he was sidelined for all but one game due to a biceps tear and its corresponding surgery.
This year, with a completely new staff in place, and a couple of well-paid guards starting in front of him, Christensen was displaced from the initial starting lineup. He went on to become an unsung hero as a Swiss Army knife for the offensive line, starting two games at left tackle and four at center.
He even played left tackle and center in the same game against the Denver Broncos in Week 8.
“I get good at compartmentalizing,” Christensen said about his multiple assignments. “One week, if I’m playing left tackle, I’m zeroed in on left tackle. It’s like I don’t even play center, and vice versa. When I’m playing center, I’m locked in.
“And if I’m a backup, I’ve got to spend a little extra time to be ready for it all, and focus on having that base knowledge of every position, so I can be ready to go if they need me.”
While Christensen played well as a fill-in, he was consistently passed over for permanent starting gigs. He battled with Austin Corbett for the starting center job in training camp, but he lost the competition heading into Week 1. When Corbett sustained a biceps injury of his own in Week 5, Christensen immediately replaced him for the next three starts.
But when left tackle Ikem Ekwonu went down, Christensen moved to left tackle and was replaced be Cade Mays. When Ekwonu returned to the lineup, the Panthers stuck with Mays over Christensen in the middle. While Christensen filled in for Mays in an overtime win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16, the veteran’s future in the lineup was left open-ended, if not underwhelming, as a backup.
“I hold my head high after this year,” Christensen said. “After playing center and left tackle — and center and left tackle in the same game, that’s not easy to do — and just a whole bunch positions, getting moved around all the time, I hold my head high for that, and I’m proud of myself. But, at the same time, it does light your fire that you want to be that much better, so you’re always on the field. We’re all competitors, I’m a competitive. I want to be out there helping the team win — in any way, shape or fashion — and it fuels your fire.”
Now set to hit free agency for the first time in his career, Christensen is open to a return, but he might need to chase a starting opportunity elsewhere.
“I’m very excited,” Christensen said about free agency. “I’m excited to see what happens over the next three months. I woke up this morning, just excited to get going.
“Obviously, I love it here — I think what (GM Dan Morgan) and (head coach Dave Canales) are doing here is incredible — I think the team is incredible, it’s going in the right direction. And so, obviously, love to be back, but at the same time, it’s a business, and I’m going to do what’s best for me and my family, for sure.”
Tommy Tremble open to return despite the allure of free agency
Tremble set a new career high with 234 receiving yards this season, despite only appearing in 12 games.
The veteran tight end, a 2021 third-round pick, was set up for a huge season in his fourth year, but nagging hamstring and back injuries hindered his production dating all the way back to the summer.
Still, Tremble finished the season strong with 13 catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns in the final six games. As he enters free agency, along with Christensen, Tremble is curious to see what’s out there.
He’s also interested in returning to his familiar setting with his close friends.
“I’d love to be here,” Tremble said. “I love my guys here. I love the staff here. I love playing for these guys, and I love playing for Carolina.”
The Panthers’ tight end room faces some uncertainty next season. While fourth-round pick Ja’Tavion Sanders is under contract for the next three years and set a new franchise record for tight end receiving yards Sunday, the rest of the group is set to test the free-agent waters in March.
Veteran tight end Ian Thomas, like Tremble, will be an unrestricted free agent in March. Special teams ace Feleipe Franks, who made his first NFL catch against Atlanta in the season finale, will also be available on the open market.
And while the draw of free agency is intriguing to Tremble, he’s excited about what’s being built under head coach Dave Canales in Carolina. The thrilling overtime win to end the season put the Panthers’ potential trajectory in clear focus, and Tremble said he would like to be part of the ascension after four years spent in the NFL’s basement.
The Panthers “drafted me when I was a young kid, 20 years old,” Tremble said. “I got here, and every year (the organization) kept believing in me, kept helping me build myself back up, and I think that’s the most fun (part) — I’m really finding myself out here and I’d love to be back.”
