After finishing the 2024 season on a strong note, the Carolina Panthers have two big priorities heading into the offseason. The first is adding more playmakers on defense through free agency and the draft. The second priority is getting an extension done with former first-round pick Jaycee Horn.
The 25-year-old cornerback is entering the last year of his rookie deal, making it the perfect time to lock down an extension. Last offseason, Carolina exercised Horn’s $12.5 million club option for the 2025 season.
The former first-round pick is coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2024, where he made a good case to be in the conversation as one of the best young corners in the league. His draft classmate, Patrick Surtain II, who won Defensive Player of the Year in February, has already received his extension during the regular season (four-year, $96 million).
If Surtain got that much, the Panthers likely know the range they need to be in for a potential extension with Horn. The good news for Panthers fans is that talks between the team and Horn are happening for a possible extension, per Joe Person of The Athletic.
"Contract talks between the Panthers and cornerback Jaycee Horn are continuing, with both sides interested in getting a deal done. Coming off his first Pro Bowl, Horn is believed to be looking for a contract in line with some of the highest-paid corners in the league, with an average annual value of $20 million or more."Joe Person of The Athletic
With Sauce Gardner and Derek Stingley Jr. having not signed their extensions yet, Horn could be the next cornerback to reset the market. Heading into the 2025 season, Jalen Ramsey and Surtain II are the highest-paid cornerbacks with average annual salaries of $24.1 million and $24 million.
Horn will likely not get that much from the Panthers, but there’s a case to be made that his AAV should be higher than Tyson Campbell's ($19.1 million). Campbell was drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars and got a four-year, $76.5 million extension last August.
Campbell has done a good job staying healthy to start his NFL career, but he doesn’t have a Pro Bowl on his resume, which should give Horn a boost in contract talks.