Surprising Panthers Defender Named 'Most Important' Contract Extension Candidate

The Carolina Panthers have done a ton of work this offseason to revamp their roster ahead of the 2024 season. The Panthers made trades to upgrade the wide receiver position and pick up draft capital. 

Carolina also made some solid signings on the offensive and defensive lines, which should help them be drastically better than they were in 2023. At the same time, the Panthers need to start thinking about the future involving some of the current players on their roster.

Each offseason, we see various teams not waste time signing players to contract extensions as they hope to have continued success going forward. Carolina was one of the few teams that didn’t sign any players to contract extensions.

However, that needs to change this season heading into next offseason. Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler listed each team’s ‘most important’ contract extension candidate. 

Panthers S Xavier Woods Named Most Important Upcoming Player to Extend

For some of the teams across the league, the extension candidates were obvious. But for the Panthers, Fowler went with veteran safety Xavier Woods and not veteran wide receiver Diontae Johnson, who was traded to Carolina this offseason.

Fowler points out that Woods has played well in his first two years with the Panthers after spending the first five years of his career with the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings.

"Although the beginning of Woods' career saw him bounce around a few rosters before ultimately landing in Carolina, he's proven himself to be a crucial asset to the team's defense, making a strong case for an extension. Since joining the Panthers, Woods has consistently demonstrated his versatility and reliability as a safety. His ability to ID defensive concepts, combined with a dynamic downhill trigger and coverage capabilities has significantly bolstered the Panthers' secondary."

Last season with the Panthers, the veteran defensive back produced 61 combined tackles, seven pass deflections, four tackles for loss, and two interceptions. Woods also had a 63.4 completion percentage allowed on targets, a 65.4 pass rating allowed when targeted, and only gave up one touchdown.

It was a stellar campaign for the 28-year-old safety and he should have another good season in Carolina. Woods is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2025, so the pressure will be on GM Dan Morgan to re-sign the veteran safety. However, Woods’ extension will be predicated on if he can play at a high level for the third consecutive season.

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