NFL teams had to be creative in restructuring contracts and signing free agents due to the reduced 2021 salary cap, and the Carolina Panthers thrived in spite of it.
Panthers GM Scott Fitterer not only restructured the contracts Christian McCaffrey, Shaq Thompson, and Matt Paradis. He also backloaded the contracts of the team’s top seven free agent signings to account for $13.9 million against the cap for 2021.
With that maneuvering, the Panthers now have $23.5 million in cap space. According to ESPN, it is believed that the Panthers were going to take this salary cap room to make a run at DeShaun Watson to upgrade at quarterback. Now with Watson’s legal troubles, and not many options available at QB on the market, what can the Panthers do with the money?
If the Panthers don’t draft a quarterback or sign one, the cap space is movable from one year to the next. Also, don’t be surprised if Fitterer sticks with Teddy Bridgewater in 2021 and move on after the season only to clear $21 million off of the cap hit. The Panthers could also take the money and use it in elsewhere on an impactful free agent that may not be a quarterback but will improve the team none less.
So with all being said, what should be next for the Panthers with this cap space? Let us know in the comments or on twitter.