This was a big season for Jaycee Horn. He came into the campaign with questions about his injury history and whether the Carolina Panthers made the right call by triggering his fifth-year option. The stud cornerback has silenced his doubters in no uncertain terms.
Horn's been one of the few genuine bright spots to emerge from another underwhelming season in Carolina. He's locked down some of the league's most prolific wide receivers and also improved his ability against the run for good measure. This was exactly what the Panthers had in mind when they gave the former first-round pick a supreme vote of confidence during the offseason.
The Panthers now have another complication — albeit a nice one in the circumstances — on their hands. Horn has one year remaining on his deal but has shown more than enough to suggest a lucrative long-term extension could be on the table at some stage before preparations for the 2025 campaign begin.
General manager Dan Morgan wants to build a culture of rewarding those who prove their worth. He did it before competitive action began by getting Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown signed. The Panthers also committed to running back Chuba Hubbard in-season after he emerged as a core foundational piece in the absence of second-round rookie Jonathon Brooks.
All signs point to the same trend continuing with Horn. The South Carolina product was always highly regarded. Now that he's proven dependable on the health front, he's cleared the biggest remaining hurdle to financial security.
Jaycee Horn could get almost $20 million per season on next Carolina Panthers deal
Just how much the Panthers will have to pay Horn is another matter. It's not going to be cheap, but he's one of the team's best players and must be extended by any means necessary.
Spotrac took a stab at what Horn's next deal might look like. They project the defensive back to command an annual salary of $19.73 million on a four-year, $78.92 million deal. This would be the league's fifth-richest cornerback contract behind Jaire Alexander, Denzel Ward, Patrick Surtain II, and A.J. Terrell.
Whether this is something Horn and his representatives would accept is another matter. He's ascending and coming off a sensational campaign, so he might be aiming for more. At the same time, he's been healthy for one season out of four, which the Panthers could use to their advantage during negotiations.
One could count the number of genuine franchise cornerstones in Carolina on one hand. Horn is one of them — there's no doubt about that whatsoever after his exceptional performance levels this season. He also wants to continue his playing career with the Panthers, so coming to a successful compromise should be pretty straightforward all things considered.
This is an important offseason for the Panthers. Morgan has some big decisions to make in pursuit of strengthening the team's chances in 2025. Extending Horn is among the easiest moves he'll have to make if the money works for all parties.