The Carolina Panthers had the kind of free agency that could impact their contending chances in 2026 and beyond.
There’s a flip side to that coin, of course.
It’s a reality that executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis addressed with reporters on Tuesday afternoon — particularly when he was asked about the Panthers’ remaining salary cap space.
“We are going to have to make room,” Tilis said.
As of Tuesday evening, the Panthers have $4.2 million in remaining cap space. That number isn’t ideal on its own. After all, the Panthers, according to Over The Cap, need a projected $4.8 million in cap space to sign all of its rookies this summer, after the team makes its allotted seven selections in the 2026 NFL Draft and picks up a few more undrafted free agents afterward.
And that $4.8 million sum doesn’t also factor in all the other roster moves the team will likely need to make — as the unforeseen yet inevitable injuries pop up over the spring and summer that require fiscal flexibility.
Carolina Panthers VP of Football Operations Brandt Tilis on Friday, May 9, 2025. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Still, when you consider what the Panthers spent in free agency to get to that number, you might just understand why Carolina’s front office thinks the franchise is on the path toward contending for its second consecutive NFC South championship.
Among the many free-agency moves the Panthers made: They added who they hope will be a premier pass rusher and scheme fit in OLB Jaelan Phillips. They acquired the best inside linebacker on the free agent market in Devin Lloyd. And they filled immediate needs along the offensive line via center Luke Fortner and left tackle Rasheed Walker.
To make these moves possible, the Panthers had to cut some costs on the front-end. That included the release of A’Shawn Robinson (which saved $10.5 million in cap space) and the trading of backup quarterback Andy Dalton (which saved $2.15 million). The team also restructured the contract of defensive lineman Derrick Brown, which effectively cleared $13.5 million in cap space.
Carolina Panthers Executive Vice President of Football Operations Brandt Tilis looks on prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on October 06, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Michael Reaves Getty Images
And there are more cost-cuts on the way. According to Over The Cap’s salary cap calculator, the team could restructure the contracts of several high-profile players and save money against the cap in the short-term. Think of guard Robert Hunt ($11.8M), cornerback Jaycee Horn ($12.3M), right tackle Taylor Moton ($8.9M) and safety Tre’Von Moehrig ($6.8M) — to name a few.
“We could convert Jaycee,” Tilis said. “We could convert a few other players if we chose. We have a few different avenues, and we’re just weighing them all.”
How a restructured contract works is pretty simple. Broadly speaking, it converts a player’s immediate base salary into a signing bonus. That allows one player’s cap number go down for one year, yes. But the team then pays for it later, as the cap number that got eliminated from one year gets redistributed throughout the rest of the term of the deal.
In other words: Restructuring contracts can be tricky. It can help short-term flexibility — but it can also put teams in a long-term cap hellscape.
That’s what Tilis and the entire Panthers’ front office are trying to balance now.
“The overarching thing with us is we’d rather not do those things until we have to,” Tilis said. “So it may just be some time before we see what that looks like.”
Here are three other moments Tilis was asked about Tuesday.
Carolina Panthers general Manager Dan Morgan looks on prior to the game against the Miami Dolphins at Bank of America Stadium on October 05, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Grant Halverson Getty Images Jaelan Phillips and the value he brings
One way to ensure you avoid “long-term” cap issues is to sign the right players who play up to their value. That’s who the Panthers think they got in Phillips, for instance, who signed to a four-year, $120 million contract earlier this month.
Phillips is now the eighth-highest pass rusher in terms of Average Per Year (APY) money at $30 million a year, right above Josh Hines-Allen of the Jaguars and below Nick Bosa of the 49ers. Immediate discourse said that was a bit expensive — especially considering the fact his sack numbers haven’t been there (he had 5 sacks in 2025) — but if Phillips can elevate the players around him, he will be well worth the payday, Tilis said.
“That’s what Dan and Dave saw out of him: the ability to get after the passer and apply pressure so that the ball is coming out quicker, we’re able to make more plays on the ball, we’re able to ideally get off the field sooner,” Tilis said. “All of those things come into play. And we just felt like with Jaelan, it was a unique opportunity to get a player of that level at that position.”
Tilis added that the team has been going after “who we believe are the best players in free agency” for the last three years.
“It just so happened that Jaelan Phillips played a premium position,” Tilis said. “That’s what made him so enticing. He was an impact player who played a premium position. … I think it was more about his talent and less about the position he played.”
Jaelan Phillips, pictured here as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, pressures Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff during a game at Lincoln Financial Field on November 16, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) Mitchell Leff Getty Images Trading Andy Dalton
As mentioned, Dalton was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2027 seventh-round pick last week. The move saved the team $2.15 million against the salary cap; if the team would’ve waited until June, the Panthers could’ve saved a few extra million against the cap.
But there was a reason why the team traded him immediately, Tilis said.
“With Andy, we signed Kenny Pickett,” Tilis said. “And we want Kenny to be our backup. And Andy wanted the opportunity to be a QB2 somewhere else, and we did the best we could to find a good opportunity for him, and one that would work for us.”
Said Tilis: “We could’ve waited until after June 1. The cap hit would’ve been different. … But the totality of the cap hits between this year and next year would’ve been the same. So the timing wasn’t all that important to us. It was more important to the team that was trading for him that they get him in their building and acclimated.”
Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton looks for an opening Sunday, Oct. 26, 2024 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. TRACY KIMBALL tkimball@heraldonline.com An ‘ascending’ Bryce Young
Tilis told reporters that the Panthers’ front office and starting quarterback Bryce Young haven’t had any discussions about a long-term contract to this point. It’s the same answer Tilis gave in August of last year — one season ahead of the Young’s breakout campaign in 2025, which ultimately yielded the Panthers picking up his fifth-year option.
“No, nothing’s changed,” Tilis said. He then smiled: “I got the eval right. He was ascending. So nailed that. Was happy about that.”
He continued: “But no, we haven’t had any discussions with his agent about a contract. And any that we would have, we would just keep internal anyway. So it’s still the same. Still evaluating. Just curious to see where it all goes, and very excited about Bryce and all that he brings to us.”
When asked if he would start pertinent discussions before the season: “I’d never rule anything out.”
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young celebrates scoring a rushing touchdown during the the Wild Card playoff game against the Rams at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Saturday, January 10, 2026. Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
This story was originally published March 25, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
The Charlotte Observer
Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22.
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