Top Three Contracts on the Carolina Panthers

Who are the three best players for the money on the Carolina Panthers?

Before we dive into this article, this is not a piece on the three best overall players on the Panthers roster. This article takes into account the players skill level, amount of money they are being paid, and the amount of time left on their contract. 

Honorable Mention:

Baker Mayfield - I get it, Panther fans are rather divided on the trade for Baker. However you feel about this trade, Mayfield is more likely than not to be the Panthers starting quarterback come Week 1 against his former team, the Cleveland Browns. Regardless of how you feel about Baker taking the helm in 2022, he has a low salary cap hit for a starting quarterback at $4.8 million dollars. Baker becomes an unrestricted free agent next season, and with a strong performance this season, can easily be signing for upwards of $20+ million a year from now. The only thing holding the Panthers quarterback cap situation back is the $18 million from Sam Darnold. Without that contract, the Panthers would rank near the bottom of the NFL in terms of quarterback spending. I'm not sure if Mayfield is the long term solution, but it's a cheap deal for one season.

#3 Jeremy Chinn - The Panthers 2020 second round pick has been a positive presence in the secondary for Carolina. Chinn can get burnt in coverage and needs to work on that aspect of his game. What Chinn lacks in pass coverage ability, he makes up for it in his run game support and tackling prowess. Since Chinn has entered the NFL, he ranks 7th in tackles, 2nd in fumble recoveries, and 2nd in touchdowns amongst defensive backs in the NFL. Chinn is, of course, still on his rookie contract, costing the Panthers just a little over $1 million against the cap each of the next two seasons. I would expect Chinn to sign an extension in 2024 somewhere in the $12-$15 million dollar range, ranking him 7th in the NFL in total contract value among strong safeties. 

#2 Brian Burns - The Panthers top pass rusher has two remaining seasons on his contract. In Burns' three seasons with the Panthers, he has amassed 6 force fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 touchdown, and 25.5 sacks. Since 2019, Burns ranks 16th in the NFL in sacks. Burns may not be in the premier pass rushing category quite yet, but he is currently the 33rd ranked defensive end in total contract value. In 2024, I expect Burns to sign an extension somewhere in the $40 million dollar range, putting him in the likes of Brandon Graham and Sam Hubbard. 

#1 D.J. Moore - The Panthers No. 1 receiver signed a 3-year, $61 million contract extension with the Panthers this off-season, tying him to Charlotte through 2025. I thought long and hard about putting D.J. #1 on this list with such a large extension. However, after reviewing receivers that are paid larger amounts of money, it is easy to have the Panthers star here. Receivers Adam Thielen, Robert Woods, Christian Kirk, and Kenny Golladay all make more money than Moore and are arguably worse at the position. Each receiver previously mentioned is older than D.J. (albeit Kirk by just a few months) making this contract even more valuable to the Panthers. There has only been one year where Moore has not eclipsed 1,100 receiving yards, and that was his rookie season. In the three years D.J. has eclipsed such a total, he has worked with quarterbacks Sam Darnold, Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke, P.J. Walker, and Will Grier. Once the Panthers figure out the quarterback situation, I only expect his statistics to get better.

Part of building a Super Bowl caliber roster relies on the shoulders of the front office to spend money in all the right places. The Panthers have some fun, young, and cheap pieces on this roster that could yield dividends down the road. Other spots along this team are rather shaky at best salary cap-wise. The Panthers have the 10th-youngest roster in the NFL, which generally leads to more rookie contracts. The Panthers need a combination of such contracts with veterans to increase their likelihood of a successful season.