Panthers free agency tracker: Carolina lands top inside linebacker on the market
It’s past noon on Monday, and thus the NFL’s “legal tampering period” of free agency has begun.
The Panthers, as with every other NFL team, can now negotiate with external unrestricted free agents and take steps toward reworking their roster ahead of 2026. The new league year — when the deals that are struck during the legal tampering period can become “official” — begins at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Charlotte Observer will be tracking all the moving and shaking during Monday’s early negotiations in this live blog, so make sure to check back for updates throughout the day:
Carolina Panthers land top free-agent linebacker Devin Lloyd
The Carolina Panthers needed an inside linebacker — and they might have just hunted down the best one on the free-agent market.
Devin Lloyd, the Jacksonville Jaguars inside linebacker who spent 2025 compiling one of the most impressive stat-lines in the NFL, agreed to a 3-year, $45 million deal, a league source told The Observer. ESPN had the news first.
Lloyd, 27, is coming off his first Pro Bowl season in the NFL. The former Utah Utes defender and Kansas City native had a career year with 81 tackles, 1.5 sacks, seven pass breakups and five interceptions.
During his four-year run with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the 2022 first-round pick produced 436 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, 26 pass breakups and nine interceptions. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound linebacker has missed just five games in his NFL career. The Jaguars didn’t pick up his fifth-year option after the 2024 season — he’d had an uneven career until 2025 — and the Panthers are the beneficiaries.
Lloyd now joins the inside linebacker room with promising soon-to-be third-year talent in Trevin Wallace and a few other question marks. The move, which surfaced publicly just after 10 p.m. ET Monday, punctuates a busy day for the Panthers front office. (READ MORE HERE.)
Rico Dowdle’s tenure with Carolina Panthers is done
Rico Dowdle has a new home. The Panthers’ running back, who put together his second-consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season and ignited a resurgence for the Carolina offense in 2025, is headed to the Steelers, according to a report from Jordan Schultz.
Dowdle’s depature from the Charlotte-based franchise didn’t come without its warning signs. The Panthers also ostensibly have another plan at running back altogether — as they plan for the return to form of Chuba Hubbard, the return from injury by Jonathon Brooks and a sophomore jump from soon-to-be second-year RB Trevor Etienne.
Kenny Pickett agrees to one-year deal with Carolina Panthers
There might be a competition for quarterback in Charlotte this summer.
A league source confirmed that the Carolina Panthers have agreed to terms with Kenny Pickett, a 27-year-old who spent 2025 as second-string quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders. He appeared in six games — notching two starts — and threw for 188 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions with a 62.2% completion percentage. He averaged just 4.2 yards per attempt.
He has a career record of 16-11 as a starter.
Pickett’s arrival does not challenge Bryce Young’s spot as starter. But it might mark the start of the changing of the guard at backup. General manager Dan Morgan told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine that the Panthers wanted to get younger at the backup QB spot, hinting that the end for 38-year-old Andy Dalton in Charlotte could be close. Morgan made it clear, though, that Dalton was aware of the Panthers’ plan and that “Andy knows that he’s going to have to compete.”
Fun side note: Panthers head coach Dave Canales quite possibly had some special intel on Pickett. Pickett, after all, spent last season under the tutelage of Pete Carroll, who is Canales’s mentor. (READ MORE HERE.)
In other NFC South news ...
The Panthers have already put in some work this free agency, notably agreeing to terms with talented pass rusher Jaelan Phillips. But the other teams in the NFC South aren’t just sitting on their hands. Far from it, in fact.
Here’s a look at the moves the other teams in the division have made as of 3 p.m. Monday:
- New Orleans Saints: Among the highest-profile moves the Saints made Monday included bringing on unrestricted free agent Travis Etienne Jr., a running back who had a great season for the Jacksonville Jaguars a year ago. Etienee will now be in the same division as his brother — Trevor, of course, was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in April 2025.
- Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons have been busy. They agreed to terms with tight end Austin Hopper on a one-year deal. They added former Eagles wide receiver Jahan Dotson on a two-year deal. But what made the most waves Monday was the news that they will reportedly be making a strong “push” for Tua Tagovailoa, the quarterback who was informed Monday that he’d be released by the Miami Dolphins. (Just after 4:30 p.m., the Falcons did, in fact, agree to terms with Tagovailoa on a one-year deal.)
- Tampa Bay Bucs: The big news of the day on the Bucs front didn’t have to do with their punter — though Riley Dixon is staying in Tampa through 2026. It instead had to do with someone who has wreaked havoc in Panthers secondaries for years: Mike Evans, the most accomplished offensive player in Bucs history, is expected to sign a three-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers, according to reports. As the Bucs wrote in a statement Monday: “When the time comes, we look forward to gathering once again to honor his many accomplishments and celebrate his eventual Hall of Fame career.”
Carolina Panthers starting center is moving on
The Panthers’ starting center from 2025 will not be in Carolina in 2026. Cade Mays has agreed to terms with the Detroit Lions, a league source confirmed to The Observer. It’s reportedly a three-year deal worth up to $25 million.
Mays, 26, has started 20 games at center the past two seasons for Carolina and has played 1,221 snaps at interior offensive line since Week 8 of the 2024 season. The Panthers selected him in the sixth round of the 2022 draft, let him leave to the Giants’ practice squad in 2024, only to bring him back in the middle of 2024 and retain him in 2025.
Mays’s departure wasn’t all that unsurprising considering the Panthers’ offensive line heading into free agency accounted for a projected $86.6 million of the team’s salary cap — one of the most expensive lines in the league.
This doesn’t end the decisions the Panthers will have to make along the offensive line. The team will also need to assess the futures of interior OL Brady Christensen and IOL (with starting center experience in Carolina) Austin Corbett — both of whom are unrestricted free agents.
Carolina Panthers bring back CB Robert Rochell
The Panthers agreed to bring back cornerback Robert Rochell on a one-year deal.
Rochell played in four games for the Panthers in 2025. He only notched snaps on special teams in those games, per Pro Football Reference.
Rochell was a fourth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and spent his rookie season with the Los Angeles Rams (under current Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, no less). The Panthers then signed him off the Cowboys’ practice squad in November 2025.
Panthers agree to bring back cornerback Akayleb Evans
The Panthers are bringing back a key special teams player as well as a depth piece in their secondary.
According to a league source, Carolina agreed to terms with Akayleb Evans, who was set to be an undrafted free agent at the conclusion of the 2025 season, on a one-year deal. NFL Network first reported the news.
Evans played in 17 games in 2025, mostly making a name for himself as a special teams ace. He logged 37.7% of all special teams snaps, per Pro Football Reference. Evans will also be a depth piece at cornerback — a unit that saw a career-best season from Mike Jackson and a second-consecutive Pro Bowl season from Jaycee Horn.
Carolina Panthers land pass rusher in massive deal
The Panthers have agreed to terms with someone they hope can bolster their pass rush. Carolina will welcome Jaelan Phillips to the team in 2026, a league source confirmed to The Observer. It’s a four-year, $120 million deal.
Phillips, 26, finished with five sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and 53 total tackles in the 2025 season. He spent the first nine games with the Miami Dolphins and the last nine — including a playoff game — with the Philadelphia Eagles.
His health wasn’t an issue in 2025. That’s massively good news after his 2023 season ended early thanks to a ruptured Achilles in Week 12, halting what was looking to be his best professional season. He played in eight games in 2023, and then four games in 2024, when a torn ACL in his right knee ended another season early. He played a whole season in 2025.
The Panthers did not have much of a pass rush in 2025. According to an ESPN report, the Panthers had a 34% pass rush win rate (24th in the league) and only notched 30 total sacks in 2025, tied for 30th in the league. (READ MORE HERE.)
List of Panthers’ internal unrestricted free agents
The following players will be free to negotiate with other teams at noon on Monday:
- LB Krys Barnes
- G/T Brady Christensen
- C/G Austin Corbett
- G/T Jake Curhan
- OLB Trevis Gipson
- P Sam Martin
- CB Damarri Mathis
- WR David Moore
- OT Yosh Nijman
- LB Christian Rozeboom
- S Nick Scott
- S Isaiah Simmons
- OLB DJ Wonnum
The following players are pending restricted free agents who haven’t been tendered yet. If they don’t receive a tender by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, they’ll be become unrestricted free agents:
The following players are exclusive-rights free agents. Exclusive-rights free agents can only negotiate with their incumbent teams:
Notable offseason needs for Panthers
- Inside linebacker
- Outside linebacker
- Offensive tackle
- Center
- Safety
- Tight end
- Wide receiver
- Punter
- Backup quarterback
Projected salary cap space
As of Monday morning, the Panthers have $8.99 million in projected cap space, according to Over The Cap.
The team has $14.4 million in dead cap charges. The team can open up additional cap space by releasing, trading, restructuring or extending contracts.
This story was originally published March 9, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
