5 contracts holding the Carolina Panthers back right now
The Carolina Panthers have some financial complications in their immediate future.
By Dean Jones
Which contracts could potentially hold the Carolina Panthers back heading into another critical offseason of change under Dan Morgan?
Securing Brandt Tilis from the Kansas City Chiefs could be a masterstroke from the Carolina Panthers. His exceptional knowledge of salary-cap manipulation is widely respected around the league. Something his new employers need as a matter of extreme urgency this offseason.
The Panthers have around $31 million available heading into the offseason. They have some established stars to extend such as Frankie Luvu and Brian Burns. Considering what these two players could command, there won't be much left unless significant sacrifices are made.
Tilis will be working hard alongside Dan Morgan and Dave Canales to put a plan in place. The Panthers won't be able to please everybody. There are also some deals given out by the previous regime that are no doubt giving the new power structure some headaches.
With this in mind, here are five contracts holding the Panthers back right now.
Shy Tuttle - Carolina Panthers DL
- 2024 salary-cap hit: $8.3 million
Few would argue Shy Tuttle wasn't given a bad hand during his first season with the Carolina Panthers. He was forced to occupy a position he wasn't comfortable with. While the free-agent signing gave it everything, he was always fighting a losing battle.
Tuttle's salary cap hit next season stands at $8.3 million. That seems like a lot given his influence in 2023. But it makes no financial sense to move him ahead of time given the dead cap ramifications involved.
Perhaps placing Tuttle as a starting 3-4 defensive end opposite Derrick Brown consistently and finding someone capable of manning the nose tackle spot could see an upturn in performance levels. But the jury is still out on that one.