CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There’s really no break in the NFL calendar. But the Presidents Day weekend — falling between the Super Bowl and NFL combine — at least gave team officials a bit of a respite before preparations for free agency and the draft resume.
The Carolina Panthers’ front office took care of some business before the holiday weekend, re-signing lifetime long snapper J.J. Jansen to another one-year contract. Don’t be surprised if their next move is to bring back another veteran creeping into his late-30s in backup quarterback Andy Dalton.
The 37-year-old Dalton, who was part of the same 2011 draft class as Cam Newton, has said he’d like to stay in Charlotte as the backup and mentor to Bryce Young. Dave Canales likes the way Dalton has handled his role, as well as the vibe in the QB room with Young, Dalton and Jack Plummer.
This is also the time when teams move on from underperforming players to clear salary-cap space ahead of free agency, which essentially begins March 10 with the two-day legal tampering period before the official start to the league year.
Will Carolina bring back Andy Dalton to provide support for Bryce Young? (Jim Dedmon / Imagn Images)
The Panthers have $20.3 million in cap space, according to Over the Cap’s projection based on a cap of $272.5 million. That would put them first among NFC South teams in terms of cap space and 19th overall.
The Athletic looks at three moves general manager Dan Morgan and executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis can make to create more cap space, along with a couple of other contract-related notes.
Potential cap-related cuts
(All cap figures via Over the Cap)
RB Miles Sanders
Age at start of the season: 28
Cap savings: $5.23 million
Dead money: $2.95 million
Most observers have been anticipating a Sanders release from the second night of last year’s draft when the Panthers used their second-round pick on Texas running back Jonathon Brooks. Chuba Hubbard’s emergence as a nearly 1,200-yard rusher and his accompanying contract extension further reduced Sanders’ role. But then Brooks tore the ACL in his right knee a second time in December and underwent surgery a month later that will sideline him for all or most of 2025. Sanders, who missed six games with a high ankle sprain, closed with a strong Week 18 showing in Atlanta when Hubbard and Brooks were out. Sanders had 116 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns, including a game-winning, 1-yard run when he yelled at the coaches to give him the ball. Sanders then vented after the game: “I was out there to showcase what I’m capable of and why I should not be on the g—–n sideline. I’m not holding back nothing.” Sanders is due to make $5.5 million in 2025, plus a $1 million bonus if he’s on the roster on the third day of the league year. Given Brooks’ situation, there’s a scenario where Sanders sticks around — but only if he agrees to a pay cut more commensurate with a No. 2 back.
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CB Dane Jackson
Age at start of the season: 28
Cap savings: $3.35 million
Dead money: $2.5 million
Jackson was Morgan’s passion project after pounding the table for Jackson during the 2020 draft when Morgan was in Buffalo with Brandon Beane. The Panthers signed Jackson to a two-year, $8.5 million contract last March with the hope he could lock down the corner spot opposite Jaycee Horn, or at least serve as a reliable nickel. He did neither. Expect the Panthers to move on from Jackson, who allowed a 123.6 passer rating and 75.9 completion percentage when targeted, both career worsts. Pro Football Focus ranked Jackson 212th out of 223 in corners in pass coverage and 215th overall. To put it in layman’s terms: not good. The Panthers have other business to take care of at corner. Morgan indicated he wants to get a long-term deal done with Horn, who made his first Pro Bowl in 2024. Horn will make $12.47 million this year on his fifth-year option if the two sides can’t reach an agreement. Mike Jackson, who played well after arriving in August in a trade with Seattle, also is a free agent. My sense is the Panthers will let Jackson test the market but could bring him back at the right price.
DL Shy Tuttle
Age at start of the season: 29
Cap savings: $3.28 million
Dead money: $6.1 million
Like Sanders, Tuttle is due a $1 million bonus if he’s on the roster on the third day of the league year. And if he’s willing to take a pay cut, maybe the Panthers keep him around as a cheaper depth piece on the defensive line. But the Panthers need to find a starting nose tackle who can anchor the 3-man front with more strength than Tuttle, whose 33.5 run defense grade was 205th among 219 interior defensive linemen ranked by PFF. With a healthy Derrick Brown and an energized A’Shawn Robinson, the Panthers have the makings of a salty interior. But Tuttle did not hold up well in the middle after signing a three-year, $19.5 million contract in 2023 that included $13 million in guarantees.
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Other contract-related questions
Will the Panthers restructure Taylor Moton?
Moton’s $31.3 million cap number is the Panthers’ highest and represents 11.5 percent of their cap. That would seem to make the 30-year-old Moton a restructure candidate, something the former front office did several times with Moton’s contract. But when he was hired last year, Morgan said the Panthers wanted to be a “a little smarter” in terms of restructuring. “We’re going do things the right way, not kind of kick the can down the road,” Morgan said. “We want to evenly distribute and pay year-to-year as opposed to kicking the can down the road. So that’s why Brandt’s here.” That would suggest the Panthers will let it ride with Moton, who’s in the final year of his contract. As for a possible pay cut, Moton doesn’t have any incentive to do so. He remains a dependable right tackle and missed the first three games of his career last season.
Is Adam Thielen going to get a new deal?
The veteran receiver certainly has been strongly hinting that he wants one. And for good reason: When healthy, he’s outperformed his contract while becoming the de facto No. 1 receiver for the Bryce Young-led offense. Thielen’s $8.3 million annual average value ranks him 37th among wideouts — just above Marvin Harrison Jr., who’s in the second year of his rookie deal, and ahead of former Panther Curtis Samuel. The issue is that Thielen turns 35 in August and is starting to think about retirement. But the Panthers could still pursue a true No. 1 WR and give Thielen a bump by doing something like converting his per-game bonuses into more guaranteed money.
(Top photo of Miles Sanders: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
