The 2023 season was a disastrous one for the Carolina Panthers. They finished with the worst record in the NFL, going 2-15 as they failed to find success in any facet of the game. To make matters worse, they don’t even reap the benefits of their poor season.
They have the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but that selection will be heading to the Chicago Bears. It was used as part of the trade package during a trade last offseason which landed the Panthers the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, which they used on Bryce Young.
Young’s rookie season was a tough one, as he struggled to find a groove behind a poor offensive line and lacking weapons. The changing of play-calling duties and having his head coach fired midway through the season couldn’t have helped matters as Young’s rookie year was tumultuous, to say the least.
To make matters worse, the quarterback taken after him, C.J. Stroud, looks like a bonafide star with the Houston Texans. This will be a tough job to sell to anyone as there is a lengthy rebuild awaiting whoever becomes head coach.
Making the job even less appealing is the lack of building blocks locked in long-term on the defense. Their outlook on that side of the ball is even worse if the offseason prediction by Aaron Schatz of ESPN comes true.
“The Panthers will be unable to reach a new contract deal with Burns, forcing them to use the franchise tag to keep him around for 2024. They will also turn down the 2025 fifth-year option for cornerback Jaycee Horn because of his inability to stay healthy,” wrote Schatz.
Those would be two major blows for the franchise. Burns is one of the premier pass rushers in the NFL, someone you can build your defensive game plan around. This season he had 8.0 sacks, giving him 46 for his career.
Using the franchise tag should ensure he is with the team for at least one more season. It will also give the team a window to negotiate with him without other teams attempting to poach him away. However, the Panthers haven’t gotten close to meeting his demands.
Jaycee Horn has been a productive player for Carolina since being selected No. 8 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. But he has appeared in only 22 games, missing more than half of his possible games played as a professional.
That makes it hard to commit to him long-term. Declining the fifth-year option on his rookie contract makes sense for the Panthers, as they protect themselves against another injury-riddled season. If he remains healthy, the teams can explore a long-term deal after the season.
