Panthers news: Frankie Luvu, Jaycee Horn, Baker Mayfield and 2015 memories
By Dean Jones
Jaycee Horn's fifth-year option
The Carolina Panthers have some important contractual decisions to make this offseason. Whether to trigger Jaycee Horn's fifth-year option is one of them. While the stud cornerback is one of the league's most capable coverage presences when firing on all cylinders, he's missed way too many games over the last three seasons for this to be considered a lock.
Schuyler Callihan from Sports Illustrated highlighted the need for Dan Morgan to find and keep those with a dog mentality. Although Horn's borderline injury-prone status is there for all to see, the writer believes his hard work to get back more often than not won't go unnoticed during the decision-making process.
"[Dan] Morgan is going to want guys like Horn to stick around and be a part of this thing, not have them removed. Even if he still struggles to stay on the field, that attitude and mentality doesn't go away. Others in the locker room will take notice of his hard work and drive to get healthy and that "dog" mentality will begin to rub off on others."
- Schuyler Callihan, Sports Illustrated
This is a tricky one for the Panthers. If they decline the option and Horn thrives, they'll be forced to hand him a megabucks deal in 2025. If they go through with his option and the former first-round pick endures more injury misery, they'll be on the hook for over $11 million on a player whose health cannot be relied upon.
It's the definition of a fine-line situation.