Triggering cornerback Jaycee Horn's fifth-year option was a calculated risk by the Carolina Panthers. It kept their options open. As it turned out, the decision was worth its weight in gold.
Now, the Panthers are turning their attention to a long-term extension for Horn.
That seems like a realistic scenario after the former first-round pick put together a Pro Bowl-caliber campaign in 2024. However, one respected insider wondered how much Carolina would be willing to pay looking at his overall body of work.
Horn came into the campaign with significant questions to answer. His talent wasn't one of them. Even so, the gifted cornerback had trouble staying healthy, featuring in 22 games over his first three seasons.
A change in his offseason training program did the trick. Horn featured in 15 contests, firmly cementing his status among the league's best shutdown players on the boundary. The South Carolina product gave up 53.2 percent of targets. His 80.9 run defense grade ranked 13th out of 223 qualifying cornerbacks. Not only this, his pass-rushing grade of 86.9 from Pro Football Focus ranked eighth.
Horn made the Pro Bowl and looked set to make a ton of money along the way. Dan Morgan declared a willingness to get something done ahead of time. This is something the general manager accomplished last spring when Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown got paid heading into his fifth-year option.
ESPN insider wonders if Carolina Panthers will go all-out to extend Jaycee Horn
Add Dan Graziano from ESPN to the list of people curious about what the Panthers and Horn eventually agree on. While the region of Pat Surtain II's contract with the Denver Broncos cannot be dismissed, the respected insider thought his injury history might work against him when push comes to shove.
"The Panthers' 2021 first-round pick is slated to make $12.472 million this season on his fifth-year option, and the team has said it's interested in working out an extension to keep him in Carolina long term. Denver's Pat Surtain II got a four-year, $96 million deal in September, which is now the target for a top corner coming up for a contract. How high will the Panthers be willing to go for Horn, who has missed time in his career due to injury but is still only 25 and has been a key part of their defense when healthy? He broke up 11 passes this past season in Carolina."Dan Graziano
It'll be interesting to see how things play out. Horn wants to stay in Carolina and help the team get back to prominence. The Panthers don't have many core foundational pieces to build around, so it would be a big shock if a compromise wasn't reached.
Everyone has a price. The Panthers have time on their side, but that brings the risk of holding out over the summer into effect. That's something head coach Dave Canales and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero could do without.
Morgan and Brandt Tilis will have a figure in mind. These things can take a while to figure out and structure effectively so it benefits both parties. But if the Panthers can extend Horn, it'll probably get their 2025 cap number up for good measure.
This is way down the list of fans' concerns. There's a mutual desire to work this out. Hopefully, sooner rather than later.