The Panthers are moving on from one of their veteran defenders.
Carolina is releasing edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, the team announced on Thursday.
The No. 1 overall pick of the 2014 draft, Clowney had signed a two-year deal with the Panthers last offseason. He recorded 5.5 sacks with nine tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits in 14 games for the club in 2024.
By releasing Clowney, the Panthers will save $7.8 million against the cap in 2025.
In 140 career games for Houston, Seattle, Tennessee, Cleveland, Baltimore, and Carolina, Clowney has recorded 58.0 sacks with 108 tackles for loss and 138 quarterback hits.
The Panthers are continuing to trim their roster ahead of this weekend’s rookie minicamp.
Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer reports that they are waiving center Andrew Raym and wide receiver Dax Milne. Word that they are also parting ways with tight ends Jordan Matthews and Colin Granger came earlier in the day.
Raym signed with the Panthers after going undrafted out of Oklahoma last year and made the initial 53-man roster. He played in one game and finished out the season on the practice squad.
Milne was also on the practice squad at the end of the year. He did not appear in any games, but did play in 28 games for Washington in 2021 and 2022. He had 15 catches for 120 yards and a touchdown while also seeing time as a returner.
A pair of tight ends are out in Carolina as the Panthers make space for incoming rookies.
Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer reports that the team is releasing Jordan Matthews and Joe Person of TheAthletic.com reports that they are waiving Colin Granger. The moves open up two spots on the 90-man roster.
Matthews was a 2014 second-round pick by the Eagles while playing wide receiver and he transitioned to tight end while with the 49ers in 2022. He missed that season with a torn ACL and joined the Panthers the next year.
Matthews played in five games for the Panthers over the last two seasons and did not catch any passes.
Granger played basketball at Coastal Carolina and was trying to make the jump to football, but a hamstring injury ended his run with the Panthers.
While we don’t yet know when the matchup will take place, the Panthers are slated to take on the Jaguars in 2025.
Barring any transactions, that will set up a matchup between two brothers at running back: Travis and Trevor Etienne.
Travis, 26, has been in the league for years after playing his college ball at Clemson. But Trevor, 20, elected to go a different way, beginning his collegiate career at Florida before transferring to Georgia for 2024.
Trevor’s performance landed him with the Panthers as a fourth-round pick.
In a recent interview, Trevor noted that “words can’t explain” how much his brother has impacted him.
“He always told me don’t try to leave a legacy, live a legacy,” Trevor said, via Alex Zietlow of the Charlotte Observer. “And that’s something he’s told me in high school, and I carry it through life. What I’ve learned from him is how much you have to become a pro — how much you have to lock in and become a student of the game, and just take care of your body. I learned so much.”
Now that they’re both in the league, Travis said the opportunity to face one another’s team is something he and his brother have dreamed of.
“[B]ut until it comes to fruition, you can’t really understand it,” Travis said, via Zietlow. “For my parents, it’s going to be very exciting. I think it’s going to be a moment filled with love and joy, for real.
“Us being together, from so young to now, and knowing that we’ve dreamed of these things and it’s actually happening — I feel like that’s a moment we’re just going to take in and enjoy because this doesn’t happen often.”
But most importantly, Travis wants bragging rights.
"[I]’ll try to go out there and kick his ass, win the game,” Travis joked.
Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen is in the final year of his contract and it may also be the last year that he plays football.
Thielen is entering his 12th NFL season and he’ll turn 35 before the Panthers play their first game of the year, so it’s not surprising to hear that he said on Friday that he’s “definitely winding down my career.” He said he won’t be making any decisions at this point, but acknowledged that he may decide to hang up the cleats once the year comes to an end.
“It could be, yeah,” Thielen said, via Joe Person of TheAthletic.com. “I told you guys at the end of the season, like every year, you look back and you say what left do I have to give to this game? I talked to my family, and they wanted me to keep playing. So it’ll be the same process. I’m not gonna think about that right now.”
Thielen said he’s “excited about this year and what could happen” for a Panthers team that ended the 2024 season on an upswing. That could lead to Thielen going out on a high note come the start of 2026.
