Panthers' Cap Mastery: Big Signings, Bigger Draft

It's March 23rd.

This is NFL News Today, AI-powered stories from around the league.

I'm Cory with the story.

The Carolina Panthers started free agency with just over $10 million in cap space.

They still signed big names like Jalen Phillips to a $30 million per year deal, Devin Lloyd

for 15 million annually, and others, including Rashid Walker and Kenny Pickett.

Despite all that spending, they have $5.2 million left under the cap.

General manager Dan Morgan made it happen with sharp tactics.

He restructured Derek Brown's contract, traded quarterback Andy Dalton, and released

defensive lineman Ashan Robinson.

He also backloaded the new deals and added Boyd years to keep flexibility.

People in the NFL world are impressed by this cap work.

It filled major roster gaps on both lines and at linebacker, without creating long-term

problems.

Teens often struggle to do this much with so little starting room.

Of course, keep linking the Panthers to wide receiver Debo Samuel, Titan there in Waller,

and Titan David in Joku.

But that remaining space limits big moves now.

Short-term contracts could open doors, though top stars might look elsewhere.

Looking ahead, the Panthers seemed set to shift focus to the draft in rookies.

Their roster builds a solid foundation for a competitive push next season.