The Carolina Panthers are still building around Bryce Young as they look to become a contender in the NFC South yet again. While the offense has a leader to look to in the huddle, one of the team's key defenders elected to leave the franchise as a free agent this offseason, and it could very well be a decision that veteran lives to regret.
While money will typically trump all other factors when it comes to selecting which free agent deal is the most attractive to a particular player, it doesn't guarantee anything in terms of individual or team success on the field.
At the end of the day, a football player will ultimately be as successful as those around them, and electing to join one of the worst units in the league on that side of the ball is a choice one former Panther will have to live with moving forward.
Former Panther Xavier Woods Will Regret Leaving Carolina This Offseason
Woods started all 17 games for Carolina this past season and made his presence felt on the outside as he recorded 119 total tackles and three interceptions during the 2024 campaign. That performance earned him a two-year, $8 million contract with the Tennessee Titans, as Panthers fans all know.
Given that Woods entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys, he has had to earn everything that he has achieved as a professional. If he felt this was the most opportune time to put money above all else, then more power to him.
However, the fact of the matter is that Woods went from one team that is looking to rebuild to another in the Titans, which could very well be further behind where the Panthers are in that same process. This past season, Tennessee owned one of the worst scoring defenses in the league as the Titans allowed opponents to score 27.1 points per game. They also had one of the worst rush defenses in the entire league, giving up a shade under 134 yards per game on the ground. The addition of one player in the secondary will not impact those horrendous statistics in a significant way.
With an offense that has shown no signs of being able to shift into gear, the Titans defense will likely have their work cut out for them again this coming season. We'll find out soon enough whether Woods is able to handle those types of results once Week 1 kicks off this September.