4 free agents the Carolina Panthers will regret not signing in 2021
By Dean Jones
Shaquil Griffin – CB
This is one player on the list that the Carolina Panthers did make a run at. General manager Scott Fitterer is no stranger to Shaquil Griffin from his time working for the Seattle Seahawks and despite making him a tempting offer, the cornerback opted to sign a three-year, $40 million deal with a $12 million signing bonus and $29 million guaranteed with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
There is absolutely no way Carolina offered anything like this sort of money given their moves in free agency so far. Griffin will now be tasked with helping the Jaguars get back to prominence sooner rather than later under Urban Meyer, who will waste no time selecting Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence at No. 1 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Griffin’s production in Seattle would indicate he’d have been a massive presence on and off the field for the Panthers, who had little in the way of depth behind Donte Jackson before signing Pro Bowler A.J. Bouye, who’ll miss the first two games of the campaign through suspension.
It probably came down to money at the end of the day.
Carolina had to be far more prudent with what they dished out compared to the Jaguars, who came into the offseason with plenty of salary-cap space and a plethora of draft picks to further assist Meyer in his rebuilding project.