Jackson, Lewis are among 5 most intriguing Panthers contract outlooks | Analysis
The NFL business season is on the horizon, and the Panthers have some big decisions to make with their incumbent roster.
Along with 18 unrestricted free agents awaiting the open market, the Panthers also need to determine what they want to do with some of the overachievers on their roster. They also need to weigh how they’ll handle aging players who have run out of guaranteed money on their large contracts.
According to Over the Cap, the Panthers are projected to have the third-highest offensive line payroll in the NFL ($89.6 million projection as of this week) next season. They are also expected to enter free agency with the second-highest defensive line payroll ($65.7 million) in the league. While the Panthers have obviously emphasized building in the trenches, those two payrolls have made a massive dent in the team’s current cap budget ($11.15 million in available funds based on a tentative projection) heading into the offseason.
Luckily for the Panthers, EVP of Football Operations Brandt Tilis has several ways to open up cap space in the coming weeks and months. He can restructure contracts and/or extend deals — lowering cap numbers for 2026 in the process — or release veterans who have lofty base salaries (with minimal or no guaranteed money attached).
Tilis can also ask underachieving talent to take pay cuts.
Last offseason, Tilis took advantage of most of those options. The Panthers signed right tackle Taylor Moton and cornerback Jaycee Horn to contract extensions, released running back Miles Sanders and linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, and had defensive tackle Shy Tuttle and offensive tackle Yosh Nijman take pay cuts.
Perhaps, history will repeat itself as the Panthers look to build on their 2025 NFC South-winning campaign.
Here is a look at the Panthers’ five most intriguing contract situations heading into the offseason:
Note: All projected totals listed are collected from salary-cap specialization website Over the Cap.
CB Mike Jackson
2026 salary: $4.25 million ($2 million is guaranteed if on roster on March 13; $7.8 million cap number; $510,000 in per-game roster bonuses)
Projected cap savings with release: $5.8 million
Max amount that can be saved on the cap with a contract restructure: $0 (final year of contract)
Max amount that can be saved on the cap with a contract extension: $3.24 million
In 2024, Jackson was acquired in a trade during the final days of training camp. He went on to have a career year with the Panthers and was rewarded with a two-year, $14.5 million deal ahead of free agency this past offseason.
In 2025, Jackson blew his 2024 effort out of the water. He produced a league-high 19 pass breakups and a career-high four interceptions during the regular season. He also had four pass breakups and an interception in the team’s playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Jackson has clearly outperformed his slated 2026 salary. So, now the Panthers need to determine whether they want to give him a raise and potentially lock him up long term opposite two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn. While that might seem like a no-brainer on the surface, the Panthers won’t save much on the cap by extending Jackson. So, this would mostly be about rewarding an in-house talent who has greatly exceeded expectations in each of the past two seasons.
Jackson turned 29 this month. While cornerbacks tend to age poorly due to their speed and athleticism typically falling off in their 30s, Jackson’s style of play might allow him to age a bit more gracefully. Jackson typically wins with a combination of size, length and technique. Perhaps that’s his selling point for being a long-term option.
The Panthers won’t cut Jackson, and they can’t restructure him, so the only hope for savings is an extension, which would benefit Jackson and the team, at least in the short term.
G Damien Lewis
2026 base salary: $12.24 million ($16.72 million cap number; $510,000 in per-game bonuses)
Projected cap savings with release: $9.22 million
Max amount that can be saved on the cap with a contract restructure: $5.64 million
Max amount that can be saved on the cap with a contract extension: $9.02 million
Like Jackson, Lewis feels like a player inching toward a reward (of some sort) for overachieving. The standout left guard has arguably been the offense’s most consistent player over the past two seasons.
While he’s dealt with some shoulder issues during his time in Carolina, Lewis was a stalwart on the offensive line throughout the 2025 season. He’s equally productive as a pass protector and a run blocker, and the soon-to-be 29-year-old lineman doesn’t look to be slowing down.
With Ickey Ekwonu dealing with a ruptured patellar tendon, and five linemen headed toward free agency in March, the Panthers won’t cut Lewis. So, they could give him a short-term extension or restructure his deal to save cap space.
Lewis doesn’t have any guaranteed money left on his deal, so that could help the Panthers in a negotiation for a team-friendly contract extension.
DE A’Shawn Robinson
2026 base salary: $7.64 million ($12.55 million cap number (updated); $765,000 in per-game bonuses)
Projected cap savings with release: $10.5 million (updated)
Max amount that can be saved on the cap with a contract restructure: $0 (final year of contract)
Max amount that can be saved on the cap with a contract extension: $5.95 million
Robinson, 30, has been among the most consistent standouts in Ejiro Evero’s defense over the past two seasons. And his leadership skills have been coveted by head coach Dave Canales since Robinson arrived in town in 2024.
That said, Robinson’s cap number in 2026 is quite large. The same could be said about the massive chunk of cap space the team could save by cutting him before the new league year.
That $10.5 million sum could help the Panthers sign quite a few free agents this offseason. It’s also around the price of what the entire incoming draft class would cost as well.
The Panthers can’t restructure the final year of Robinson’s deal, and they almost certainly won’t want to have him on the roster with his current cap number. So, Carolina could release him or sign him to a short-term extension.
Turk Wharton didn’t live up to his contract last season; nor did Bobby Brown. So, cutting Robinson for cap savings without a shrewd plan could lead to eventual pitfalls.
TE Tommy Tremble
2026 base salary: $3.67 million ($2 million guarantee triggered on March 13 if still on the roster; $8 million cap number; $510,000 in per-game bonuses)
Projected cap savings with release: $6 million
Max amount that can be saved on the cap with a contract restructure: $0 (final year of contract)
Max amount that can be saved on the cap with a contract extension: $3.42 million
Tremble, 25, reached new career highs in catches (27) and receiving yards (249) after signing a two-year, $10.5 million deal last offseason.
The former Notre Dame standout missed all of last year’s training camp after undergoing a back procedure during the offseason program. But he still ended up playing in all 17 games, and he made a handful of huge plays during the 2025 campaign.
A homegrown player with plenty of locker room clout, Tremble has established himself as a trusty weapon for quarterback Bryce Young. However, his production isn’t in line with the top tight ends around the league.
If the Panthers want to upgrade the position, they’ll probably need to sacrifice Tremble to make room for the new addition. And because Tremble has a guarantee trigger in his contract before free agency, the Panthers will need to make their decision on him before the market opens and the draft arrives.
A $6 million savings could be used in a lot of ways — like adding a mid-tier starting center or a stopgap left tackle. So, the Tremble decision can’t be made lightly.
NT Bobby Brown
2026 base salary: $5.55 million ($2.78 million becomes guaranteed if on roster on March 13; $8.03 million cap number; $510,000 in per-game bonuses)
Projected cap savings with release: $4.37 million
Max amount that can be saved on the cap with a contract restructure: $2.24 million
Max amount that can be saved on the cap with a contract extension: $3.58 million
The massive nose tackle was a solid run defender in 2025. But the Panthers didn’t pay him to solely be an anchor against the run.
Still only 25, Brown has upside worth exploring. He’s got a rare blend of size, power and athleticism, and he’s likely to improve the longer he’s in the system.
But can the Panthers afford to wait for Brown to take his next step as a pass rusher? As mentioned, Carolina has a big decision to make on Robinson. If the team decides to get younger with the release of Robinson, Brown will need to step up and play more snaps as an interior pass rusher.
Is that a true recipe for success? It wasn’t in 2025 when Wharton was sidelined with a hamstring injury down the stretch.
Brown still has two years left on his deal, so the Panthers could, in theory, restructure his deal to open up space. They could also ask him to rework his contract, potentially pushing some of his 2026 money into 2027.
It’d be surprising to see Carolina give up on a freak athlete with uncanny size in his mid-20s, so he’s likely going to be on the roster next year, one way or the other.
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
