Which Carolina Panthers players could earn themselves massive contract extensions with a strong season in 2022?
Things are hanging in the balance regarding the Carolina Panthers and their chances for progression in 2022. But there are many players on the roster fighting for contract extensions that could result in a significant upturn in performance.
The Panthers are sitting pretty with around $25 million in salary-cap space right now. But that will not be the case for much longer as Carolina is projected to be $30 million over the cap in 2023 despite getting Sam Darnold’s fully guaranteed $18.85 million off the books.
This can be manipulated as we’ve seen across the league this offseason. However, this in power will need to allocate funds carefully and as for the players, they must leave no doubt as to their importance moving forward during the upcoming campaign.
With this in mind, here are four Panthers players who could earn themselves lucrative contract extensions if things go well in 2022.
Player No. 1
Yetur Gross-Matos – Carolina Panthers DE
This season is one of immense importance for Yetur Gross-Matos. There is a real opportunity awaiting the defensive end after the Carolina Panthers released Morgan Fox and let Haason Reddick walk in free agency, which should come with a significant increase in reps from a starting position.
Carolina could strengthen this area of the field before their Week 1 opener at home to the Cleveland Browns. But the coaching staff also appears highly confident in the former second-round pick out of Penn State taking a huge leap forward in Year 3 of his professional career.
If Gross-Matos can do this en route to a potential breakout campaign, it could be enough to convince the Panthers to sort out an extension way before his contract expires in 2024.