We are now in the pause between the end of the preseason and the start of the NFL’s regular season. For many teams this is the time to make any last-minute adjustments to their roster and we often see a flurry of activity in this period. The Carolina Panthers at least appear to be making room for some kind of aggressive move.

Yesterday, the team announced a two-year, $44 million contract extension for long-time right tackle Taylor Moton. The move keeps the team’s most-reliable lineman locked up for the next three seasons and also created some salary cap room for 2025.

According to figures at Over the Cap, extending Moton will save the team just under $13 million in salary cap space. Before the extension they had a little over $19 million to work with, so they should be around $32 million under the cap once the move becomes official.

Only six teams around the league have more cash on hand at the moment, and it’s more than enough to make a big splash move before the season begins, if that’s something the Panthers are interested in doing.

We know that they are, because according to the latest reporting the Panthers are one of three teams that are in the mix to trade for Cincinnati Bengals superstar pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who led the league in sacks last season.

Carolina is also reported to be negotiating a trade with the Minnesota Vikings for Adam Thielen, which would free up even more cap space and create more opportunities for the plethora of younger, promising receivers on the roster.

Stay tuned…

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