The Carolina Panthers are navigating some financial difficulties entering general manager Dan Morgan's third offseason at the helm. Some tough choices are coming, especially if the front-office leader wants to be more aggressive in his quest to find the pieces needed to defend their NFC South championship successfully.
Morgan and Brandt Tilis will have a plan in place. Fans are confident in their capabilities, with the Panthers going from rock bottom to the playoffs in just two seasons. Not everyone is going to come along for the ride, but this is all part of the NFL's cutthroat business.
It'll be an interesting few months. Before then, Morgan and the Panthers got a gift from the NFL that signified just how much business is booming for the league.
Carolina Panthers got a cash injection with larger salary-cap hike than expected
Tom Pellisero of the NFL Network confirmed that the league has contacted clubs about next season's salary cap, which is expected to increase again. This is more than anyone anticipated, and it's only help the Panthers out of their current cash plight.
"The NFL informed clubs today it is projecting a 2026 salary cap in the range of $301.2 million to $305.7 million per club, per source. That would represent another significant jump from this year’s $279.2 million cap number, and nearly $100M than the $208.2M cap in 2022."
This is a massive boost. It doesn't change the fact that additional sacrifices are needed, but seeing the cap go up so much once again isn't exactly bad news. And the fact that it's raised almost $100 million in just four years is nothing short of staggering.
According to Over the Cap, the Panthers are projected to have $17.14 million in available cap space after this encouraging development. This has increased by $8 million, which might not sound like a lot, but every little helps.
Obviously, with the cap going up, player demands will too. That's just the nature of the beast, but Morgan knows where the Panthers need to strengthen, and he'll have targets in mind to achieve his objectives.
The Panthers still need more. Releases, restructures, and early extensions will help increase the number. Things should move quickly before free agency officially begins on March 11, and Morgan has the ruthless tendencies needed to keep the team's best interests firmly at the forefront.
The NFL juggernaut is not going to slow down anytime soon. And if the Panthers manage this stage of their project correctly, there will no doubt be even more cash to splash in 2027.