Panthers GM Dan Morgan is well aware of the upcoming decision with one of the team’s promising play-makers after statement performance
Jalen Coker is an extension candidate for the Carolina Panthers this offseason.
The Carolina Panthers’ season ended in heartbreak at Bank of American Stadium with a, 34-31, loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the first round of the NFC playoffs.
As disappointing as that result was, the Panthers proved something in that game. The Panthers proved to the doubters that they belonged in the postseason and that they could compete under the bright lights against a top caliber NFC opponent.
No one in the Panthers’ building is disappointed by that loss and how the overall season went, a message head coach Dave Canales made sure to send on Monday. Now, it’s onto the offseason and attacking the upcoming decisions to be able to take that next step as a franchise.
Personnel-wise, the Panthers first have to make some decisions on the upcoming free agent departures and one player certainly caught the team’s attention in the final game.
Panthers are expected to open extension talks with WR Jalen Coker following statement game
The standout of Saturday’s loss against the Rams for the Panthers was easily wide receiver Jalen Coker. The second-year wide receiver finished the game with nine receptions for 134 yards and one touchdown on 12 targets. He was the team’s most productive player on offense and really emerged late in the season as a reliable WR2.
Coker is now set to become an exclusive-rights free agent, which means the Panthers could simply apply the ERFA tender on Coker for the price of the minimum salary for one year, or work out an extension that could pay him a lot more money that better fits his current role with the team.
The latter is something general manager Dan Morgan hinted at while speaking with reporters on Tuesday.
“He’s a resilient guy. He came back and he played great,” Morgan said. “In terms of the contract and stuff, that stuff again me and [Executive Vice President of Football Operations, Brandt Tilis] are talking through and timing on when to extend him and get him the deal. That’s all stuff that we’re going to talk about.”
Coker finished his second regular season with 33 receptions for 394 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games played after missing the first six games of the season. Once returning, Coker had a clear connection with quarterback Bryce Young and starting earning more opportunities each week.
“Jalen’s, he’s a special, special player, special guy,” Young explained. “The way that he works, he carries himself, the attention to detail he has throughout practice, not surprised at all. Big moment like this, him stepping up, him being himself, so, yeah, super, super happy for him.”
Panthers can field a pretty strong, and young, WR duo going into 2026
Saturday’s game gave us a small taste of what this offense could look like in the future with Coker playing alongside rookie first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan at the wide receiver position.
“Jalen and T-Mac, they produced for us in an incredible way,” Panthers head coach Dave Canales said on Monday. “The chemistry they have with Bryce has certainly grown. They’re going to have the first opportunity to be out there to start [in 2026]. You want those guys on the field.”
McMillan is coming off a really strong rookie campaign and should be the front-runner for the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award after a 1,000-yard receiving season with seven touchdowns. Getting a full season with McMillan and Coker, healthy and playing together, should be an exciting sight for Panthers fans next season.
“I definitely believe that the sky is the limit for the two of us,” McMillan said. “He definitely showed what he’s capable of doing, and I have no doubt in my mind that he’s going to be a really good player.”
Carolina Panthers News
Panthers’ top free agent has made his stance clear, plus a quick look at the other looming departures
Dan Morgan will have a lot of big decisions to make to retain the majority of this playoff team.
