5 major questions the Panthers must answer in 2022 free agency
By Dean Jones
Will the Carolina Panthers extend players ahead of time?
Another potential option available to the Carolina Panthers is perhaps extending current roster members before their contracts are officially up. This is something the team did in 2021 with Taylor Moton and Robby Anderson, but the wide receiver’s regression could lead the organization into a different thought process this time around.
The cautionary tale also applies to Christian McCaffrey, who has featured just 10 times since signing a lucrative four-year, $64 million deal with a $21 million signing bonus and $38 million guaranteed. Couple this with finances being minimal and it would be a surprise if the Panthers went down this direction.
However, there could be one or two exceptions.
D.J. Moore once again proved that he doesn’t need consistency at the quarterback position to make things happen. After his third-straight 1,000-yard season, the former first-round pick could land himself megabucks heading into his fifth-year option.
If this scenario comes to fruition, there is nobody more deserving.
Another possible candidate is Brian Burns, who reached his first Pro Bowl in 2021 after attaining nine sacks – a career-high. This appears less likely considering the Panthers can activate his fifth year, giving them some much-needed breathing space before working out a potential contract extension in 2023.