With the player additions mostly finalized for this offseason, many fans are curious where the Panthers stand in terms of cap space and distribution. In this series, we’ll take a look at just how much the Panthers have tied up in specific position groups over the next couple of seasons, what contracts could be terminated or extended, and what percentage of the cap each group takes up. For this series, I’ll be using the numbers at Over the Cap. Next on our list, the tight ends!
On the Books
The biggest cap hit
this year at tight end for the Panthers is Tommy Tremble’s $8 million, with only half guaranteed. Ja’Tavion Sanders is in the third year of his rookie contract and is slotted at about $1.29 million this season, while second year player Mitchell Evans counts $1.1 million against the cap. James Mitchell resigned this offseason for about $1.3 million, but only $590,000 is guaranteed. The Panthers also brought back special teams demon Feleipe Franks on a one year deal worth $1.125 million, but none of that money is guaranteed. The only other tight end on the roster for now is Bryce Pierre on a $885,000 completely unguaranteed.
Next Year
For the 2027 season, only Sanders and Evans are currently slated to be on the roster as both continue their rookie contracts. Sanders’ contract ends after 2027, while Evans’ goes through the 2028 season. Aside from that, the Panthers don’t have any players under contract at tight end for 2027. I would imagine they’d bring back one or two of the current players, potentially drafting another one in the 2027 Draft.
Measuring Up
Once again, the Panthers are right in the middle of the league in spending, landing 15th by allocating 4.55% of their cap on tight ends. This is a little surprising considering the lack of elite talent the Panthers have at the position. Tremble’s $8 million definitely shoots the team up the rankings. At the top of the league are teams with high end veterans dragging their cap percentage up like the Vikings (8.8% with Hockenson taking up most of that) and Falcons (8.32% after franchise tagging Kyle Pitts). At the bottom of the league are the Dolphins (1.72%) and Chargers (1.55%), neither of whom are spending more than a million dollars on a single player at the position.
