Panthers veteran right tackle addresses his future plans in Carolina following the team’s first-round selection of Monroe Freeling
Carolina Panthers veteran right tackle Taylor Moton addresses the retirement rumors going into his 10th NFL season and how it plays a role in the team’s long-term approach at the position.
The Carolina Panthers made a wise decision that few expected in the first-round of the 2026 NFL Draft when Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling fell right into their laps with the 19th overall pick.
Despite doing extensive work on top pass catchers and experts leaning toward Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman being the pick, the Panthers couldn’t pass up adding an ascending and athletic freak to the offensive line.
Carolina had long-term questions at both tackle positions going into the draft. However, after making the Freeling selection, one tackle position is getting some better clarity.
Panthers right tackle Taylor Moton provides encouraging update regarding his future in Carolina
“Retirement’s not on my mind right now,” Moton told reporters on Tuesday. “Ultimately, I feel great running around with all the young guys. I feel like I’m young, I feel like I’m moving well, and I’m feeling like I’m still in my prime. I don’t feel like I’m slowing down.”
Moton is set to enter into his 10th season with the Panthers and will be 32-years-old when the season kicks off. After missing time the last two seasons, few wondered how much longer the franchise stalwart will continue to go.
Moton got emotional about his future with the team last offseason before being handed a two-year, $44 million contract extension that will keep him in Carolina through the 2027 season. That contract, plus his latest comments, reaffirms belief that the Panthers can rely on Moton holding down the right side for at least two more seasons.
Panthers now have a good problem to have at the offensive tackle position
Going into the 2026 season, the Panthers can undoubtedly write Moton in as the starting right tackle. As for the left tackle position, it’ll be a battle between Freeling and former Green Bay Packers starting left tackle Rasheed Walker, who signed a one-year deal with the Panthers in free agency.
Given Freeling’s inexperience, it would be good for him to sit a year and learn behind Walker. However, if he proves he’s capable of holding down the blindside for the offense, getting early reps would be just as valuable, if not more.
Looking beyond 2026, the Panthers will have a decision to make with former first-round pick Ikem Ekwonu. Ekwonu was set to enter into his fifth-year option year in 2026 and hoping to secure a long-term contract in Carolina. Those plans got derailed when he suffered a patellar tendon injury in the playoffs that will force him to miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season.
After drafting Freeling in the first-round, it’s not a guarantee the team brings Ekwonu back for 2027. And with Moton’s future now addressed, the Panthers could wait out adding another tackle for another year.
If Moton decided 2026 would be his final year, the Panthers could easily bring back Ekwonu in 2027 and have him and Freeling as the starting tackles. Time will tell what ends up happening now that Moton is committed to playing.