The Carolina Panthers have had an active offseason as they try to build off a 5-12 record from last season. The defense has received the bulk of the headlines coming off a historically bad year but the offense has had its own storylines as they look to build around Bryce Young.
One of the key successes has been along the offensive line. Carolina’s unit ranked eighth in Pro Football Focus’s final offensive line rankings for the 2024 season and may have been even better if all five starters didn’t miss at least one game due to injury. It led to an under-the-radar move that some may question but could pay massive dividends if all goes according to plan.
Panthers Decision To Keep Taylor Moton Could Have Big Benefits
The Panthers allowed offensive tackle Taylor Moton to receive a $3 million roster bonus last weekend. The Charlotte Observer’s Mike Kaye reports that he’ll receive a $14.3 million base salary along with the bonus and enters next season with a $31.3 million cap number.
The large cap number, which is the second highest for an offensive tackle behind Tampa Bay Buccaneers tackle Tristan Wirfs, had many speculate on Moton’s future with the Panthers. But general manager Dan Morgan stayed true to what he said at the NFL scouting combine earlier this month, using Moton’s contract as flexibility moving forward.
“Yeah, I think we’re fine either way,” Morgan said via Kaye. “We can leave the contract how it is and we’re fine from a cap perspective. Obviously, we love Taylor. We love everything about him, but right now we’re just going to stay put and [Panthers executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis], myself and [Panthers owner Dave Tepper], we’ll get everything together at the right time and talk about his future in terms of long-term.”
The Panthers clearly wanted to keep Moton and most teams usually tend to restructure with a cap number that large. But Carolina would have to either sign him to an extension or add future void years for that to happen as Moton enters the final year of a four-year, $85 million extension signed in 2021.
Carolina also had plenty of cap room heading into the offseason with Moton’s cap number on the books. It didn’t stop them from adding Tershawn Wharton, Trevon Moehrig and Bobby Brown III in free agency and signing Jaycee Horn to a four-year, $100 million contract extension at the beginning of the league year.
The Panthers still have $21.2 million left over in 2025 cap space according to Over The Cap. But they also didn’t touch any of the $79 million in 2026 cap space by restructuring Morton’s deal.
This gives Carolina some flexibility moving forward. Moton has posted a Pro Football Focus grade above 70 seven times in his eight-year career including a 77.2 grade last season. He’s also one of the league’s most consistent pass-blockers, grading 20th out of 83 qualifying offensive tackles with a 79.8 grade last season.
If he plays to that level next season, the Panthers can extend him at some point with a significantly lower cap number in the first year of the deal and less money than a restructure or extension would have been this season.
The Panthers’ low expectations also factor in as Carolina. With a playoff spot unlikely, the Panthers can see if Moton can stay healthy after missing three games last season. If he doesn’t, they can move on with minimal consequences and use that money to find a replacement in free agency or in the draft.
It’s a move that makes holding onto Moton make sense and could give the Panthers a big benefit beyond next season.