5 Panthers players that will be grossly overpaid in 2021 if not cut
By Dean Jones
Stephen Weatherly – Carolina Panthers DE
- Cap hit – $7.95 million
Stephen Weatherly‘s free-agent move from the Minnesota Vikings just hasn’t worked out. The Carolina Panthers were right to bring in the defensive end and see what he could do in a starting role after shining behind Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter in Mike Zimmer’s defense, but he is a high candidate for release after struggling to make the most out of the opportunity.
Weatherly’s $7.95 million salary-cap hit is another strong indicator of this. It would also make him one of the more overpaid players on the roster if the front office and coaching staff opted to give the former seventh-round pick a reprieve.
Even though his play didn’t justify it.
Releasing Weatherly would save the Panthers $4.55 million, which is simply too tempting to ignore regarding a player who failed to record a single sack before he went to the reserve/injured list. Carolina’s pass-rush actually improved in his absence, which is another damning indictment regarding his contribution.
Perhaps Weatherly is more suited to a rotational role, which is fine.
Every NFL team needs backups who can come in and immediately contribute. But considering the money he’s going to make next season, it’s probably best for all parties to go their separate ways and put this in the category of an experiment that went wrong.