Carolina Panthers agree to deal with longtime starting lineman Austin Corbett ahead of free agency
The Carolina Panthers will bring back center Austin Corbett for a fourth season.
The Panthers on Saturday reached a 1-year deal with Corbett ahead of the start of NFL free agency, a league source told The Observer. Corbett’s contract was set to void on March 12 after the team pushed back an earlier deadline to continue their extension negotiations.
According to another league source, the base value of the contract is $3 million, but there are incentives in the deal that can enable Corbett to make as much as $7 million in 2025.
Corbett, 29, is coming off a season-ending biceps injury. The veteran lineman played well during his first season as an NFL starting center before sustaining the notable injury in Week 5. Corbett converted from right guard to center following the arrival of Pro Bowl lineman Robert Hunt last offseason.
Corbett originally signed a three-year, $26.25 million deal with the Panthers in 2022. He had just come off a Super Bowl win with the Los Angeles Rams as a starting lineman.
Corbett spent his first two seasons in Carolina at right guard. He was arguably the team’s best offensive player in 2022, but he sustained a season-ending ACL injury in the final game of that campaign, which hindered him entering the 2023 season.
Corbett was limited to just four games in 2023 as he recovered from ACL surgery and eventually sustained a season-ending MCL injury.
Despite Corbett’s recent injury history, the veteran lineman has been valued by the organization as a leader on and off the field. Corbett expressed interest in returning to the organization from the 2024 campaign, and he has a clear opportunity to compete for a starting job this summer at center.
Cade Mays, who started eight of the team’s final nine games at center last season, is a restricted free agent, who was tendered on Friday. Mays received an original-round tender, giving him the opportunity to make $3.4 million on a 1-year deal or test restricted free agency to receive an offer sheet from another squad. If Mays were to receive an offer sheet, the Panthers would be able to match. If Carolina were to choose against matching the offer sheet, they’d receive a sixth-round pick in return for Mays.
Brady Christensen, a versatile depth lineman with plenty of starting experience, is set to test unrestricted free agency on March 12. Christensen, a 2021 third-round pick, is likely to look for a starting role in free agency.
Even if Christensen were to leave on the open market, Corbett’s return — and Mays’ probable return — give the organization a strong foundation on the offensive line. All five Week 1 starting linemen from last season — Corbett, left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, left guard Damien Lewis, Pro Bowl right guard Robert Hunt and right tackle Taylor Moton — are all under contract for 2025.
If Mays, whom the coaching staff was impressed by during his spot duty last year, does return this offseason, the Panthers also have a strong core of depth as well. Mays and Corbett can compete for the center job, with the other serving as an offensive-line sixth man of sorts. Chandler Zavala, a 2023 fourth-round pick, also played very well as a fill-in starting guard at times last season. The team also has last year’s swing tackle, Yosh Nijman, under contract for the coming season.
Second-year linemen, Jarrett Kingston and Andrew Raym, will also return for the offseason program this year.
Just last month at the NFL Scouting Combine, GM Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales stressed the importance of battle in the trenches. With just days before the start of free agency, the offensive side of that battle is in particularly strong shape.
This story was originally published March 8, 2025 at 5:02 PM.
