Taylor Moton was understandably emotional when discussing his future with the Carolina Panthers. He's given everything to the franchise, and if this season is going to be his last hurrah in Charlotte, the prolific right tackle wants it to be the best one yet.
Moton wants to stay. The fan base wants him to finish his career in Carolina. However, the Panthers made their stance on any extension crystal clear.
The Panthers have no emotional attachment to their roster construction under Dan Morgan and Brandt Tilis. They are only interested in what's best for the team. Whether that involves another extension for Moton or not is undetermined, but no conclusion has been reached one way or another.
Carolina Panthers are keeping sentiment out of their major decisions, including Taylor Moton's future
Coincidentally, Tilis also got up in front of the media on Tuesday after Moton. The executive vice president of football operations acknowledged this was a tough part of the job. But they are firmly focused on making the best decisions for the organization's future and nothing else.
"As far as Taylor [Moton] himself goes, I did see him get a little emotional. That's hard. It's the hard part of our business. When somebody pours their whole life into this like Taylor has, and they're faced with potentially going to a new place next year. But, at the same time, we are going to make the best decisions for the organization. If that means keeping Taylor here, that's great. If those two things align, we are open to it, but I'm not going to sit here and say we are going to do it or we aren't going to do it. Whatever makes the best sense for the Panthers, we'll do."Brandt Tilis
Brandt Tilis saw Taylor Moton getting emotional today. The cap/contracts VP says the front office will make the best decision for Panthers. pic.twitter.com/0VwZqCgr0M
— Joe Person (@josephperson) July 30, 2025
It's been a long time since the Panthers were run professionally. Fans were clamoring for this exact approach as the franchise descended quickly to rock bottom under previous regimes. Just because Moton is so revered, that won't change.
If it makes business sense, the Panthers won't hesitate to extend Moton if the performance levels match. Health is another big issue, but the fact that Carolina is willing to absorb the full amount of his $31.34 million salary-cap hit makes this a wait-and-see scenario that could go either way.
Moton is still among the league's best. But with Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis on huge money, coupled with left tackle Ikem Ekwonu also seeking a megabucks extension, it's going to take a lot of maneuvering to keep everyone happy.
And if Moton and Carolina go their separate ways, there will be a queue of suitors around the league willing to make him an offer. That's a guarantee.