Carolina Panthers News & Rumors

WR Adam Thielen Staying With Panthers On Revised Deal

March 12th, 2025 at 9:25pm CST by Ely Allen

We knew that veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen would be returning for his 12th season of NFL action. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, he will be doing so on a revised contract. Joe Person of The Athletic confirms Fowler’s report while adding that the new deal comes with a pay bump for the 34-year-old.

After a couple of down years before his move to Carolina, Thielen was a bit of an under-the-radar addition to the Panthers’ wide receiving corps in 2023. Despite consistent inconsistency in the quarterbacks room, Thielen had a resurgent season, reeling in 103 passes for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns. This past year, Thielen’s impressive output for the Panthers continued as he improved on those numbers through 10 games (615 receiving yards for five touchdowns) despite a seven-game absence in the middle of the year.

Usually, when an aging skills player in their 30s has their contract revised, it’s to reduce their cap impact with a pay cut, usually rewarding them with a signing bonus or some guarantees. In this situation, the Panthers are actually rewarding Thielen for his impressive contributions in the past two seasons by giving him a higher salary.

Thielen was set to make $6.75MM in 2025, including a $1.5MM roster bonus set to take effect this weekend. Per Person, this new deal will actually add to his cap number. There are no plans to extend his time under contract, however, as Person claims that the deal should still void after this season.

It’s an unusual development for a player set to enter the 2025 season at 35 years old, but one well worth it for a player who has been a consistent rock during a turbulent two years of quarterback play. Thielen will continue to serve as a leader and mentor to last year’s rookie wide receivers Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker.

Panthers Sign RB Rico Dowdle

March 12th, 2025 at 6:04pm CST by Adam La Rose

Rico Dowdle has found his next opportunity. The former Cowboys running back has a one-year deal in place with the Panthers, Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer reports. The pact (which is now official) has a maximum value of $6.25MM, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo adds.

After the Cowboys lined up a deal with Javonte Williams, it became clear Dowdle would be on the move. The latter will earn base salary of $2.75MM, Joe Person of The Athletic notes. Upon arrival in Carolina, Dowdle will join a running backs room featuring one established starter along with a 2024 draftee seen as being a long-term solution at the position.

The Panthers have Chuba Hubbard on the books for years to come after he inked an extension midway through the 2024 campaign. Hubbard topped 1,000 rushing yards for the first time last season, and he can be expected to handle lead back duties for at least the short-term future. Jonathon Brooks – selected in the second round last April – made only three appearances as a rookie after rehabbing the ACL tear which ended his college career. During that stretch, Brooks suffered a second tear, however, so he will miss time in 2025.

That will allow Dowdle to handle at least a rotational role with his new team. The 26-year-old saw sparse usage during his first three Dallas campaigns, but the decision to allow Tony Pollard to depart after playing on the franchise tag allowed Dowdle to see a starter’s workload. He posted 1,338 yards from scrimmage while averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Those figures (along with his low mileage) were insufficient to earn the former UDFA a multi-year pact, though.

This short-term arrangement will nevertheless pave the way for a homecoming. Dowdle is an Asheville, North Carolina native and he spent his college career at South Carolina. Coming off the most productive campaign of his pro tenure, it will be interesting to see how he fares with his hometown team. Teams still in search of veteran backfield depth, meanwhile, now have an even thinner pool of options to choose from.

Panthers, Christian Rozeboom Agree To Deal

March 12th, 2025 at 3:41pm CST by Rory Parks

Christian Rozeboom enjoyed a breakout season in 2024, and he has landed a new contract early in free agency. The veteran linebacker has agreed to a one-year deal with the Panthers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Rozeboom, 28, signed with the Rams as a UDFA in 2020. He was waived during final cutdowns that year and ultimately spent the entire season on Los Angeles’ practice squad, though the club saw enough potential to keep him in the fold via a reserve/futures deal once the 2020 campaign ended. A similar fate awaited him in 2021, as he was waived before the start of the regular season and joined the Chiefs’ taxi squad shortly thereafter.

The South Dakota State product would go on to appear in one game for Kansas City in 2021 before the Rams poached him back by signing him to their active roster. He saw action in nine games for LA that year, with all of his snaps coming on special teams. He continued operating almost exclusively in the third phase in 2022 before getting his first real chance on defense in 2023.

That season, Rozeboom appeared in 17 games (five starts), and he enjoyed a 49% snap share. In 2024, he appeared in 17 games (11 starts), converting a 74% snap share into 135 total tackles — a top-20 figure — five tackles for loss, an interception, and a sack. Despite the high tackle totals, the advanced metrics were not high on his work, as Pro Football Focus considered him the 72nd-best LB out of 84 qualifiers and assigned him a roughly average grade against the run with subpar marks in the passing game.

There is some familiarity here, as Panthers DC Ejiro Evero was on the Rams’ defensive staff during Rozeboom’s first two years in the league. He will presumably compete for reps at the middle linebacker spot with incumbents Josey Jewell and Trevin Wallace, and he represents another part of the club’s plan to fortify its defense in free agency.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Contract Details: Horn, Pats, Pack, Vikings

March 12th, 2025 at 11:26am CST by Sam Robinson

It’s that time of year. It is time to begin sorting through the contracts agreed to early in free agency. We will start with some of the biggest deals to emerge this week.

Jaycee Horn, CB (Panthers). Four years, $100MM. Horn’s Carolina extension covers $72MM in total guarantees (second among CBs) and $46.7MM at signing (first). Horn’s 2025 and ’26 base salaries are fully guaranteed; his $15.74MM 2027 base salary will shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 3 of the 2026 league year, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Additionally, $7.1MM of Horn’s $21.7MM 2028 base is already guaranteed for injury, per Wilson. That amount will shift to a full guarantee on Day 3 of the 2028 league year.
Milton Williams, DT (Patriots): Four years, $104MM. Williams will see $63MM in total guarantees and $51MM at signing, per OverTheCap. Williams’ 2027 base salary ($27MM) is guaranteed for injury; it will shift to a full guarantee if he remains on New England’s roster on Day 3 of the 2027 league year, Wilson tweets.
Aaron Banks, G (Packers). Four years, $77MM. Only a $27MM signing bonus is guaranteed, via OverTheCap, as the Packers do not usually include guaranteed salary beyond Year 1. Banks is due a $9.5MM roster bonus on Day 3 of the 2026 league year, Wilson notes. The same structure is in place for 2027, with another $9.5MM bonus due. These represent future guarantee dates on this year-$20MM-AAV accord, though the Pack — as they do with Josh Jacobs — will have a natural out after Year 2 of the deal.
Byron Murphy, CB (Vikings): Three years, $54MM. This is significantly lower than initially reported (via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo), as Murphy can only reach the $22MM-AAV number through incentives. Murphy’s first two base salaries are fully guaranteed, per Wilson. Rather than being the NFL’s fourth-highest-paid CB, Murphy is tied for 13th after the true AAV emerged.
Charvarius Ward, CB (Colts): Three years, $54MM. This one had the correct value from the start, as Murphy’s subsequent Vikings deal matched these terms. Ward will see $27MM at signing. To reach the $34.98MM total guarantee, he must remain on Indianapolis’ roster past Day 5 of the 2026 league year. As $5MM of Ward’s $12.98MM 2026 base salary is guaranteed at signing, the rest locks in on that March 2026 date, Wilson tweets.
Jonathan Allen, DL (Vikings): Three years, $51MM. This also checks in lower (via Garafolo) than initially reported, which is not uncommon. Half of Allen’s $16MM 2026 base salary is guaranteed at signing, with the other half (via Wilson) locking in if the D-lineman is on Minnesota’s roster come Day 3 of the 2026 league year.
Jamien Sherwood, LB (Jets). Three years, $45MM. The Jets are guaranteeing $30MM, as ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini notes this is the second-biggest LB guarantee the team has authorized (after C.J. Mosley‘s then-record FA deal in 2019). The Jets included a $7.5MM option bonus due at any point before Week 1 of the 2026 season, Wilson notes. This, along with three void years, will reduce Sherwood’s cap hits; he will not carry a figure north of $11.5MM until 2027.
Drew Dalman, C (Bears): Three years, $42MM. $26.5MM of Dalman’s $28MM guarantee comes at signing, giving the ex-Falcons center the second-biggest center guarantee (passing Lloyd Cushenberry‘s 2024 Titans FA deal). $9.5MM of Dalman’s $11MM 2026 base salary is fully guaranteed at signing, per Wilson. The other $1.5MM vests if/once he is on Chicago’s roster on Day 3 of the ’26 league year. Dalman’s 2027 salary is nonguaranteed.

Panthers Re-Sign OL Brady Christensen, Add P Sam Martin

March 11th, 2025 at 9:14pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Panthers have re-signed offensive lineman Brady Christensen and agreed to terms with veteran punter Sam Martin, according to a pair of team announcements.

Christensen will receive a one-year, $2.8MM contract that is fully-guaranteed, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Carolina first acquired him with a third-round pick (No. 70 overall) in 2021 after a stellar career at BYU.

The Panthers tried to keep him at tackle as a rookie, but he moved inside in 2022 and started all 17 games at left guard. A biceps tear ended Christensen’s 2023 season after just one game, and he didn’t earn a starting job in 2024. Injuries pressed him into action anyway, and he finished the season with four starts at center and two at left tackle. The 28-year-old will compete for a starting role along the interior of the offensive line in 2025.

Martin’s deal is worth up to $3MM over one year, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He was released by the Bills last week after spending the last three years in Buffalo. The 35-year-old previously punted for the Broncos (2020-2021) after starting his career with the Lions (2013-2019).

Statistically, Martin was a below-average punter in 2024. He has been consistent throughout his career, but has never profiled as one of the league’s best at his position. A $3M APY would move Martin into a tie with several other players as the third-highest-paid punter in the NFL, but the language of Rapoport’s report indicates that the deal’s base value is lower.

Panthers Release RB Miles Sanders

March 11th, 2025 at 11:32am CST by Adam La Rose

Miles Sanders‘ tenure with the Panthers has come to an expected end. The veteran running back was released on Tuesday, per a team announcement.

Sanders was prepared to restructure his contract to remain in Carolina, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. Team and player negotiated such a move, but no agreement could be reached. Now, the former Eagles Pro Bowler will hit the market for the second time in his career.

The top running back earner in the 2023 offseason, Sanders inked a four-year Panthers pact. By cutting bait halfway through the deal, the team will generate $5.23MM in cap space while incurring a dead money charge of $2.95MM. Carolina will now move forward with Chuba Hubbard atop the backfield depth chart.

The 25-year-old Canadian set new career high with 1,195 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Midway through the campaign, Hubbard inked a four-year extension which prevented him from reaching free agency this spring. He will be counted on to remain a lead back moving forward while 2024 second-rounder Jonathon Brooks rehabs his second ACL tear.

Sanders finished out his rookie contract with an impressive Eagles season (1,347 scrimmage yards, 11 touchdowns, 4.9 yards per carry). The Penn State product found himself on the move with Philadelphia electing to sign D’Andre Swift – and later, Saquon Barkley – however, leading to his Panthers agreement. His Carolina tenure did not go according to plan, and during a six-week stretch this past season Sanders was inactive.

While the 27-year-old returned to the lineup during the season finale and operated as a starter (due to other injuries), it was widely expected a parting of ways would take place. Sanders will now look to find a new home with his stock in a much worse spot than it was two years ago. The likes of Najee Harris and Javonte Williams have lined up new deals in the early portion of the offseason, and the 2025 draft class features several highly-acclaimed running backs. Sanders may need to wait to find a suitor as a result.

Patriots, Milton Williams Agree To Deal

March 10th, 2025 at 11:33pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Panthers looked to be the frontrunners to secure Milton Williams, but that will no longer be the case . The Patriots are adding Williams instead, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo report.

Williams will head to Foxborough on a monster deal that averages $26MM per season over four years. After the Cowboys kept Osa Odighizuwa off the market, Williams — PFR’s No. 3 overall free agent — will benefit from being allowed to speak with multiple suitors.

Carolina was deep in talks with Williams, who will parlay a big contract year into a seismic second contract. The Panthers were close to a deal, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Patriots then upped their price — on a deal that includes $63MM guaranteed — to end the derby. After Chris Jones and Christian Wilkins reset the D-tackle market last year, Williams will benefit. Assuming the $63MM represents Williams’ guarantee total (as opposed to the amount fully locked in at signing), that still ranks sixth among DTs.

The Eagles had re-signed Zack Baun, but the Super Bowl champions had left Williams, Josh Sweat and Mekhi Becton unattached as the legal tampering period began today. Williams represents the first defection, and Sweat has since committed to the Cardinals, rejoining Jonathan Gannon.

Williams’ contract year produced career-high numbers in sacks (five) and QB hits (10). Used as a part-time starter, the Louisiana Tech product totaled 18 pressures as well, ranking sixth in DT pass rush win rate. Pro Football Focus ranked the former third-round pick as the No. 1 interior pass rusher last season, and the Patriots will buy in while the Eagles will predictably build their DT future around Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.

The Patriots extended Christian Barmore last year but saw him miss most of the season due to blood clots. Barmore returned late in the year and will now pair with Williams to round out a pricey D-tackle duo. Williams joins Harold Landry, Carlton Davis and Robert Spillane as additions aimed at restoring the Patriots to an upper-crust defense. After two-plus decades carrying such chops, New England plummeted to 22nd in yards and points allowed despite Christian Gonzalez‘s All-Pro ascent.

Coming into free agency with the most cap space in the NFL, the Patriots are delivering on Mike Vrabel’s push to both spend in free agency and bolster their lines. Williams will be the biggest bet any team makes on the D-line during this free agency period, and the Pats will expect him to build on a breakout season.

Williams showed flashes before, having supplied a career-high nine tackles for loss during the Eagles’ 2022 NFC championship season. Although his Super Bowl LIX sack-strip-recovery sequence introduced the former third-round pick to the casual fans — ones that were still watching by that point — Williams will be out to prove he is not a one-year wonder.

Panthers To Re-Sign CB Michael Jackson

March 10th, 2025 at 10:06pm CST by Ely Allen

The Panthers did not tell Michael Jackson to “Beat It.” After trading for the veteran cornerback just prior to the start of the 2024 season in exchange for seventh-round rookie linebacker Michael Barrett, Carolina has opted to retain the 28-year-old defender on a two-year, $14.5MM deal, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

The trade certainly worked out in Carolina’s favor as Barrett was waived just five days after the deal by the Seahawks before re-signing to their practice squad. He was then released just after the team’s season-opener and signed two days later to the Browns’ practice squad. Barrett was once again released in early-October and didn’t get signed again until the Packers brought him onto their practice squad on November 30. He was elevated by the Packers in the final week of the season but didn’t see any snaps. Barrett has not been signed to a reserve/futures deal and remains a free agent.

While Barrett bounced around, unable to find any playing time, Jackson started every game of the season for the Panthers, notching career highs in total tackles (76), tackles for loss (3), passes defended (17), and interceptions (2). It was only the second time Jackson played a full season as a starter.

Like Barrett, Jackson had a similarly rough start to his NFL career. He started as a fifth-round pick for the Cowboys out of Miami, failing to make the make the 53-man roster but signing to the practice squad. He was signed off Dallas’ taxi squad to the Lions’ active roster but only made one appearance in eight weeks with the team. The team announced they were waiving him the following August but instead traded him to New England. He made the initial 53-man roster with the Patriots but was soon waived and re-signed to the practice squad, where he was elevated for the final game of the season.

In 2021, he was waived in the Patriots’ final roster cuts but signed with the Seahawks practice squad two days later, getting elevated for two games. Jackson became a surprise name in Seattle’s camp the following offseason and became a starter in the new-look secondary. He not only earned his first career start but started every game of the season, as well, though he graded out below average, with Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranking him 84th among 118 players graded at the position. Jackson saw a reduced role in 2023 for Seattle, only starting four games, but his play improved analytically, as PFF graded him as the 19th-best cornerback of 127 players.

In a return to a full-time starting role this year, and despite joining the team just two and half weeks before the season started, Jackson graded out above average, with PFF grading him as the 43rd-best corner of 116. He returns to a secondary that recently gave a big payday to Jaycee Horn. Horn and Jackson will likely continue to act as the team’s top cornerback options while some younger talent fills out the depth lost as Lonnie Johnson, Dane Jackson, and Caleb Farley all head towards free agency.

Panthers To Sign DT Tershawn Wharton

March 10th, 2025 at 5:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

Carolina is beefing up Derrick Brown‘s supporting cast, it seems. After adding Rams nose tackle Bobby Brown, the Panthers are bringing in a former sidekick of Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, Tershawn Wharton.

Following a production uptick in a contract year, Wharton will cash in big. He is heading to Charlotte on a three-year, $54MM deal that comes with $30MM guaranteed, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. When compared to contracts from last year, Wharton’s deal would rank in the top 14 for what defensive tackles made annually.

Wharton signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2020 out of Missouri S&T and immediately found his way into the defensive line rotation as a rookie. Over three years with the team, he started just two games, but he got consistent snap shares in every game until tearing his ACL in 2022 after just five games. When his three-year, undrafted deal ran out, Kansas City signed him back on a one-year deal, despite the recent injury. He returned to his normal production and earned another one-year deal, which he played on this year.

In 2024, Wharton surpassed Derrick Nnadi on the depth chart, earning multiple starts in a single season for the first time in his career. With 10 starts in 17 game appearances, Wharton’s production saw an uptick, resulting in career highs in sacks (6.5), tackles for loss (7), and quarterback hits (11). Of 118 players graded at the position, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded Wharton at 49th. While his run defense left something to be desired, his pass rushing grade ranked 22nd for interior defenders in the league.

Along with the two Browns on the interior, Wharton will now attempt to improve a Panthers defense that finished 32nd in the league in rushing yards allowed and 31st in the league in rushing touchdowns allowed. He’ll also utilize his superior pass rush abilities to improve on a defense whose 32 sacks ranked 29th in the NFL last season.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

Panthers, DL Bobby Brown Agree To Deal

March 10th, 2025 at 4:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Panthers made it a priority to upgrade along the defensive interior early in the lead-in to free agency. A Milton Williams agreement did not come to pass, but the team has managed to pivot quickly.

Bobby Brown has a deal in place, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The former Ram will not offer the impact against the pass that Williams would have, but he will provide a run-stopping presence for his new team. The 24-year-old handled starting duties with Los Angeles for each of the past two seasons.

Providing further details, Rapoport notes Brown will collect $21MM on a three-year pact. With a maximum value of $27MM (thanks to incentives), this deal marks quite the raise from his rookie contract. Brown slotted in at No. 48 on PFR’s Top 50 Free Agent List, and he has not needed to wait long to secure a significant pact.

Pro Football Focus graded Brown as a top-30 run-defending DT during Aaron Donald‘s final season and last year, after the all-time great retired. The Panthers, whose defense spiraled to a last-place finish in 2024, will bet on Brown to help their run defense. Brown’s deal checks in south of where the Broncos went to retain nose tackle D.J. Jones late last night. With Brown not turning 25 until August, the Panthers have some upside here.

Brown is also familiar with Panthers DC Ejiro Evero, though perhaps somewhat indirectly. Evero was in place as Rams DBs coach during Brown’s rookie season, which doubled as the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI-winning campaign. Carolina will pair Bobby Brown with the recovering Derrick Brown in 2025. While the Panthers need to revamp their outside linebacker contingent, the two Browns figure to matter plenty up front.

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