Panthers make necessary contract decision with injured veteran that finally has the team ready for the start of the season
The Carolina Panthers are now cap compliant for the 2026 season after restructuring the contract of injured defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton on Thursday.
The Carolina Panthers entered into the week $5,621,545 OVER the allowed salary cap limit for the 2026 season and needed to make some kind of move this week in order to be cap compliant before Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears.
General manager Dan Morgan had multiple options to free up that $5.6 million and also some extra space needed for in-season spending. The move he decided to make was kind of a surprise decision.
The Panthers restructured the contract of veteran defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, converting $12.2 million of his salary into signing bonus, adding three void years, creating $9.7 million of 2026 cap space. It’s certainly not the move I would have done.
Carolina Panthers just told you their exact feelings on Tershawn Wharton
Wharton is currently injured after undergoing neck surgery earlier this year and will miss at least the first four games of the regular season. Since signing a three-year, $45,050,000 deal with the Panthers in 2025, Wharton has played nine games and 405 defensive snaps.
Wharton seemed like an obvious cut candidate after the 2026 season based on his previous contract structure. After this move, moving on his borderline impossible. Cutting Wharton in 2027 would cost the team $14,621,334 in dead cap with only $7,459,000 in cap savings.
That means Wharton is going to be in the team’s plans through the 2027 season with two-years, $28.85 million remaining on his contract not counting the three void years added with this restructure.
Lee Hunter expected to start the season in Tershawn Wharton’s place, for now
According to the team’s unofficial depth chart, rookie nose tackle Lee Hunter was listed as the expected starter in Wharton’s place with the veteran currently on the reserve / PUP. Something that even surprised the second-round rookie.
“I didn’t see it, but it’s for sure a blessing if it is (true),” Hunter said, via ESPN’s Mike Kaye. “It’s pretty comfortable. Just trust the process that the coaches give me daily. Just trust the process and the routine I’ve been doing all my life playing football.”
Hunter currently deserved to be out there alongside Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown on the interior of the starting front in Week 1. He’s a powerful player and had been impressive all offseason. But, it doesn’t sound like it’ll continue to be the case when Wharton eventually gets cleared to return.
“It’s two-fold,” head coach Dave Canales explained. “First and foremost, Lee’s just locked down into that nose position – of course when it’s four-down he’s got to play a shade or a 3-(technique) depending on where the front moves. They did a great job shrinking down the package for him to where he’s just good at one part and he started making plays, started to take to the technique that we were looking for. That’s a big part of it. And then the other side of it is necessity. We need Lee to go, right now. Turk’s not ready to go and he stepped in there and showed us that he can play quality snaps. Lee did the work and made strides to put himself out there as a starter.”
The thought in trading up to draft Hunter was that he could eventually be a starter for this interior. It happened faster than anyone might have anticipated going into his first NFL game, and we’ll see how long it continues.
One thing’s for sure, the Panthers just expressed a lot of confidence in Wharton and his future with the team on Thursday.
