Panthers: 4 opt-outs that would guarantee Trevor Lawrence in 2021

Carolina Panthers Player No. 2: Donte Jackson (CB)

The Carolina Panthers have plenty of questions surrounding their defensive backs in 2020. They lost No. 1 cornerback James Bradberry to the New York Giants in free agency. And the organization is counting on Donte Jackson to step up and fill the void.

Jackson was one of the players who voiced his concerns on Twitter. And if he opts out then it throws Carolina’s secondary into disarray.

Any loss of Jackson would leave the franchise facing the prospect of going into the season with Eli Apple and fourth-round pick Troy Pride Jr. as their starting options. And this would be a real problem in no uncertain terms.

The player has a tremendous opportunity in 2020. So sitting it out for health reasons would be something that he would probably only do if safety became a bigger concern than it is currently. Jackson has been waiting for an opening like this since he entered the league. And it is vital he takes full advantage.

"We shouldn’t have to beg for you guys to take our health seriously @nfl #WeWantToPlay — Donte Action Jackson (@_DJack01) July 19, 2020"

Carolina would have no other choice other to explore the free-agent market for a replacement if Jackson opted out. There are some intriguing names still available. But the Panthers do not have much in the way of financial wiggle room to make something like this happen.

If Jackson decided to opt-out, the overall impact on Carolina’s backend would be immense. This is something that teams would pick apart at will, which could lead to troubled times and the top pick in the NFL Draft.