Panthers Pick Up Fifth-Year Option on CB Jaycee Horn

Carolina commits to their former first-round pick for another season.

Jan 7, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn (8) talks with / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Friday afternoon, the Carolina Panthers picked up the fifth-year option on cornerback Jaycee Horn, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.

Since entering the league in 2021, Horn has played in just 22 of the possible 51 games battling through numerous injuries. This past season, Horn was limited to just six games as he nursed a hamstring injury. In those six appearances, Horn totaled 27 tackles and five passes defended.

When he's on the field, Horn is one of the best players on the field and is considered to be one of the top young corners in the NFL. Health has obviously been the only concern. As far as fitting the Panthers' DNA, he fits that to a T.

"Yeah, I think when you talk about building the roster, I think it starts with competitors, guys that are passionate about football," GM Dan Morgan said earlier this offseason. "We want to draft guys and sign guys in free agency that are passionate about football, that love football.

"We have a lot of guys in the locker room right now that love football and are passionate, but we need to get more. The dog part of it, we need guys that are hungry to go out there and inflict pain on their opponents. We need guys with toughness. We need physicality. We need those type of things, just to put it plainly."