With the player additions mostly finalized for this offseason, many fans are curious where the Panthers stand in terms of cap space and distribution. In this series, we’ll take a look at just how much the Panthers have tied up in specific position groups over the next couple of seasons, what contracts could be terminated or extended, and what percentage of the cap each group takes up. For this series, I’ll be using the numbers at Over the Cap. Last on our list, the corners!
Jaycee Horn signed a massive contract extension just last year, but the big cap hits don’t actually start hitting the books until next year. For this season, he’s at a modest cap hit of $10.9 million. Mike Jack is back for another season at $7.8 million. Akyaleb Evans is at $1.26 million for this season with about half of that guaranteed. Chau Smith-Wade ($1.16 million) and Will Lee III ($1.15 million) on on rookie contracts, while Corey Thornton, Devonta Smith, Cam Miller, and Jaylon Guilbeau are all on undrafted rookie contracts at or below $1 million each. Robert Rochelle signed a one year deal worth $1.075 million, but none of that is guaranteed.
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Like many positions we’ve covered, the cap percent for the cornerbacks will likely increase a fair amount next year. Horn’s cap hit balloons to just under $26 million, while each of those UDFA contracts get just a little more expensive (though a negligible amount, especially when considering guaranteed money). The key will be Mike Jackson. Depending on how he plays, and how the youngsters behind him on the depth chart play, the team could look to sign him to another short term deal. Since his last deal was two years for $10.75 and he’s outplayed that number, he could look for a pay raise to stay opposite Jaycee Horn.
The Panthers are once again middle of the road in spending for this position group. They slot in at 15th with 4.9% of their cap going to cornerbacks. That ranking is likely to jump up as Horn’s contract does, plus the potential for extending younger players like Smith-Wade and Thornton. The Bears lead the league in cap percentage going to corners at 14.18%, and they get their money’s worth with Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. Denzel Ward’s $30.89 million cap hit launches the Browns to second on the list at 12.6%. As usual, the Dolphins are at the bottom of the league, only putting 0.95% of their cap space toward the cornerback position.
