Carolina Panthers No. 3: Offensive tackle ($17.31 million)
The offensive tackle room lands at No. 3 on the list primarily because of one man. The Carolina Panthers traded for veteran left tackle Russell Okung earlier this offseason in exchange for Trai Tuner in a deal with the Los Angeles Chargers. And this comes with substantial compensation in 2020.
Okung is set to make $13 million in base salary next season, which is the final year of his deal. He counts for 6.25 percent of the Panthers’ cap. And the Super Bowl winner comes with some question marks regarding his ability to stay healthy.
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This is a trend that Carolina will be hoping doesn’t continue in a different environment. Okung will need to provide quarterback Teddy Bridgewater with adequate enough blindside protection in order for the Panthers’ offense to thrive. And it remains to be seen whether the Pro Bowler is up to the challenge against some tough individual matchups on the schedule.
The drop-off in salary after Okung is steep. Greg Little is next on the list with a $1.73 million cap hit. And it appears likely that the second-year-pro will have to settle for a backup role once again in his sophomore campaign.
Taylor Moton is a standout protector who is vastly underpaid at $1.32 million. But this is something that isn’t expected to last too much longer.
The tackle is heading into the final year of his rookie deal. And another strong showing next time around could be set to land the player an annual salary of $14 million, according to Spotrac.
Others on the offensive tackle cap list are Matt Kaskey ($610,000) and Aaron Monterio ($610,000).