Panthers get left in the cold after one of the top free agents leaves them at the altar for another team
The Carolina Panthers are trying to do everything possible to help build off some late-season momentum and a big part of making that happen is improving the defensive side of the ball.The team locked up its CB1 in Jaycee Horn by signing him to a four-year, $100 million extension early Monday morning and for a […]
The Carolina Panthers are trying to do everything possible to help build off some late-season momentum and a big part of making that happen is improving the defensive side of the ball.
The team locked up its CB1 in Jaycee Horn by signing him to a four-year, $100 million extension early Monday morning and for a couple of hours, it looked as if the Panthers were going to add defensive lineman Milton Williams, who is one of the top-5 free agents across the board.
That changed a little later, however, after the New England Patriots swooped in and swiped Milton from the Panthers. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Williams and the Patriots agreed to a four-year deal that will pay him an incredulous $26 million per year.
"… For New England, we know they have a lot of money and we know they've been in on the biggest free agents. This is the biggest one they've landed in some time," Rapoport said on NFL Network's Free Agency Frenzy special.
Williams would've immediately upgraded the Panthers' entire defense and would've formed a dynamic duo with Derrick Brown. The trickled-down effect from the trenches to the secondary would've been felt in a big way, as well.
It's an unfortunate development for the Panthers, but that obviously won't stop them from trying to make the necessary upgrades moving forward. Solid options still remain, the only problem is none of them are elite options like Williams.
Per Over The Cap, the Panthers have $21,267,019 in effective cap space after accounting for the projected cost of the draft class. That ranks 22nd at the time of this publication.
