Panthers Clear More Salary Cap Space

Matt Paradis' contract has been adjusted, per ESPN's Field Yates

After the Panthers announced the releases of Kawann Short, Tre Boston, Michael Palardy, and Stephen Weatherly, their salary cap room increased to an estimated $28.5 million. General manager Scott Fitterer isn't done with working his magic this offseason either. 

ESPN's Field Yates reported that center Matt Paradis' contract had been adjusted. Paradis initially signed a three-year, $27 million deal with the Panthers in 2019, but alterations were made in order to clear more salary cap space.

The Panthers have converted $7.04M of C Matt Paradis' $8.03M base salary in 2021 into a signing bonus, creating $4,693,334 in cap space.

Carolina continues to create cap space to be aggressive this offseason if it so chooses...

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) February 20, 2021

This adjustment was made after Paradis' second year at center. His first year in Carolina was a rough one; he struggled in both the running and passing game. Based on the film, he greatly improved in 2020. However, his PFF grades tell a different story. In 2019, his grade was a 63.4. This past season, his grade stayed the same.

Matt Rhule is known to have an analytical approach to the game of football, so there is a very real possibility that these grades may have played a role in Paradis' contract reconstruction.

The moves that Scott Fitterer have been making may lead many fans to believe that the Panthers are going after Deshaun Watson. However, while Watson might be the biggest priority for the Panthers' front office, it should be noted that these recent moves were also expected. Carolina's salary cap situation wasn't in the greatest shape, but Fitterer is using his expertise to fix that.

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