5 premier free agents the Panthers could land with extra cap space

Carolina Panthers could target J.C. Jackson

The Carolina Panthers traded for Stephon Gilmore last season in an attempt to try and win now and make the playoffs. This didn’t go as planned as the team did far more losing than they did winning.

This wasn’t Gilmore’s fault at all, but at 31 years old and recent injury history, there isn’t much reason for Carolina or the All-Pro to try and run it back.

Gilmore does have strong Carolina roots, but is it enough for him to return to the sinking ship?

The Panthers also have Donte Jackson entering free agency and it wouldn’t be surprising if we’ve seen the last of him, either.

If the Panthers lose both Gilmore and Jackson, the cornerback unit which once looked like a major – almost over the top – strength is all of a sudden a bit shaky. Carolina would have last year’s first-round pick Jaycee Horn, who missed a majority of the season due to a broken foot, 2020 first-round pick CJ Henderson, a player who the Jacksonville Jaguars thought gave up on football, A.J. Bouye, who is serviceable but a little bit past his prime years, and Keith Taylor, a 2021 fifth-round selection who had a promising rookie campaign.

All four of those names are solid. But I’m not sure anyone can feel too comfortable about the unit going to a season.

J.C. Jackson is coming off a second-team All-Pro year. It isn’t looking like the New England Patriots will be re-signing him this season, so a lucky team will be getting one of the best cover corners in the NFL.

At only 26 years old, Jackson has plenty of good football left in the tank. It certainly wouldn’t be a bad move for Carolina to invest in an elite cornerback in the event Gilmore and Jackson leave.

Pro Football Focus projects Jackson to get offered somewhere around four years, $60 million – $15 million per year. But other needs have to take priority.