Dan Morgan managed to find the right balance throughout another busy offseason. The general manager recognized the need to revamp his historically bad defense while also maintaining stability on the offensive side of the football. This was the correct path to ensure the Carolina Panthers became a more balanced operation in 2025.
The Panthers are working with a long-term plan in mind, which is getting the desired time from team owner David Tepper. Morgan is maintaining future financial flexibility and wants to build through the draft. He's also keeping urgency high by not offering many contract extensions ahead of time.
That's reserved for the franchise cornerstones. Nobody can dispute defensive lineman Derrick Brown, running back Chuba Hubbard, and cornerback Jaycee Horn's importance to the Panthers. But for everyone else, it's a wait-and-see approach in pursuit of new deals.
Some will do enough for extended stays. Others already seem like short-term solutions that'll be moved on with little fanfare attached. A select few could also be coming to the end of their respective careers en route to retirement.
With this in mind, here are seven Panthers players who are likely playing their final seasons with the team in 2025.
Carolina Panthers who are (likely) playing their final seasons with the team in 2025
Austin Corbett - Carolina Panthers OL
Things looked promising for Austin Corbett earlier in the 2024 season. The offensive lineman coped well with a position switch after being moved to the center spot following the arrival of stud right guard Robert Hunt. There were plenty of skeptics regarding this move, but the former second-round selection silenced his doubters in no uncertain terms.
Unfortunately for Corbett, the injury bug struck yet again. A torn bicep suffered in Week 5 against the Chicago Bears was the third-straight campaign where he succumbed to a long-term health issue. That inevitably came with speculation about his potential departure in free agency.
The Carolina Panthers had something else in mind. Dan Morgan wanted to maintain continuity along the offensive line. Corbett got a new one-year deal, where he's expected to fight it out with Cade Mays for the starting center job throughout the summer.
Corbett's experience and proven production put him in the driver's seat. The margin for error is razor-thin where the Nevada graduate is concerned. Any drop-off in production could see Mays unseat him for the top spot if he builds on some much-needed momentum accumulated during the 2024 campaign.
If Corbett starts and goes through more injury struggles, that'll be enough for the Panthers to turn their attention elsewhere in 2026.