The Carolina Panthers have a new hole to fill along their offensive line, and the contract details could make the decision sting even more.
According to reports, the Detroit Lions have reached an agreement with former Panthers center Cade Mays on a three-year, $25 million deal with $14 million guaranteed.
For Carolina, the development raises an obvious question: why didn’t they match it?
Originally a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Tennessee, Mays appeared in 52 games with 27 starts during his time in Carolina.
Carolina Panthers could have easily matched the money Cade Mays got from the Lions
His path to becoming a starter wasn’t perfectly linear…
After seeing limited action early in his career, Mays was released by Carolina in the summer of 2024, then signed a brief stint with the New York Giants. He eventually returned to the Panthers later that season and began carving out a larger role on the interior of the offensive line.
That momentum carried into 2025…
Mays entered the season as the backup behind veteran center Austin Corbett. But when Corbett suffered a left knee MCL injury in week 2, Mays stepped in and quickly proved a reliable option.
He went on to start 12 games for Carolina and delivered one of the most quietly impressive seasons by a center in the league.
Statistically, Mays’ performance made a compelling case for Carolina to retain him.
Across 726 offensive snaps, the 26 year old did not allow a single sack. He also posted a 94.3% run block win rate, a mark that ranked among the top 20 centers in the NFL.
Advanced metrics backed up that strong play as well.
Over the last two seasons, Mays allowed just 21 pressures across 756 pass blocking snaps, producing a pass blocking efficiency score of 98.6, which ranked among the top centers in the league.
In other words, this wasn’t just a replacement level lineman putting together a decent stretch. Mays had developed into a reliable interior presence entering his prime years.
That’s what makes the contract details so notable.
For Detroit, it looks like a cost effective solution at a premium position.
That’s what makes the decision notable.
Instead of paying a moderate price to retain a young, productive starter, the Panthers will now likely have to explore alternatives (either through free agency or the draft) to replace him.
And if Mays continues the steady upward trajectory he showed in Carolina, the Panthers’ choice not to match Detroit’s offer could look even more questionable in hindsight.