It's a big offseason for the Carolina Panthers. After a decent end to the campaign, fans expect the team to be more competitive in 2025. General manager Dan Morgan must make the moves needed to make their dreams a reality.
The Panthers have a few good young players to build around. For the first time in years, the coaching staff is consistent. Stability replaced chaos — a refreshing change of pace for this perennial bottom-feeder — but the hard work is just getting started.
Morgan is currently in Mobile, Alabama to scout Senior Bowl prospects ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. He's got big decisions to make regarding the team's free agents and potential acquisitions from the veteran pool. The door is not closed on making trades, so it promises to be an eventful few months before Carolina resumes organized team activities.
This is an uncertain time of year for players around the league. Some are out of contract. Others could be made salary-cap casualties. They are wary of being replaced by new signings or becoming collateral damage.
That's the way things work, and the Panthers are not exempt. With this in mind, here are five players entering precarious offseason situations in 2025.
We'll begin with veteran running back Miles Sanders.
Carolina Panthers players entering precarious offseason situations in 2025
Miles Sanders - Carolina Panthers RB
Filling the void left by Christian McCaffrey was a tricky proposition for anybody. Miles Sanders was the man hand-picked by the Carolina Panthers to take on this significant responsibility. Hopes were high following a Pro Bowl campaign with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, but he never reached these heights in Charlotte.
Sanders' time in Carolina has been blighted by injuries and poor production. The explosiveness and contact balance deserted him. He was a yard off the pace and couldn't be trusted to shoulder the burden.
The former second-round pick out of Penn State lost his starting spot to Chuba Hubbard and gradually became an afterthought once head coach Dave Canales came into the fold. Injury problems once again reared their head, but Sanders returned in Week 18 at the Atlanta Falcons and gave a good account of himself.
One good performance doesn't detract from the precarious situation facing Sanders this offseason. Jonathon Brooks' torn ACL increases the chances of seeing out the final year of his deal slightly. At the same time, the $5.22 million in savings attached to his early release makes this a realistic possibility.
If Sanders does leave, his performance in Carolina's regular-season finale should be enough to get another shot elsewhere.