The Panthers and cornerback Mike Jackson are running it back.
Jackson joined the Panthers for the 2024 season and the team announced that he has agreed to a new contract on Monday. Reports indicate that it is a two-year, $14.5 million deal for Jackson.
The Panthers acquired Jackson in a trade with the Seahawks and he started all 17 games during his first season in Carolina. He had 76 tackles, two interceptions, and 17 passes defensed in those appearances.
The Panthers also signed Jaycee Horn to a four-year extension on Monday, so they will be set at the top of the cornerback depth chart for the next couple of years if all plays out as hoped.
The Panthers have agreed to terms with defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton on a three-year, $45.05 million deal, Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer reports. The deal has a max value of $54.05 million and $30.25 million is guaranted.
Wharton is 50th on PFT’s top-100 free agents list.
Wharton, 26, played all 17 games with 10 starts for the Chiefs last season. He had 6.5 sacks, 11 quarterback hits and 29 tackles in the regular season and added two sacks, three quarterback hits and eight tackles in the postseason.
His 8.5 sacks led the team.
Wharton spent the past five seasons with the Chiefs, with 72 appearances and 13 starts. He totaled 114 tackles, 13.5 sacks and 26 quarterback hits.
Last season was the first that Wharton played more than 50 percent of the snaps, with 667 plays keeping him on the field 62 percent of the time.
Free agent defensive tackle Bobby Brown III is heading to Carolina.
The Panthers have agreed to a free agent contract with Brown, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
A 2021 fourth-round pick out of Texas A&M, Brown has played his entire career with the Rams. Last year he played 42 percent of the Rams’ defensive snaps and 13 percent of special teams snaps.
At 6-foot-4 and 332 pounds, Brown is a run-stuffing presence in the middle of the defensive line who should bolster the Panthers’ defense.
Carolina is adding an edge rusher.
The Panthers have agreed to sign Patrick Jones to a two-year deal worth up to $20 million.
Jones, 26, was a Vikings third-round pick in 2021 and just completed his rookie contract. He had his best season in the last year of his previous deal, recording a career-high 7.0 sacks with nine tackles for loss and 12 quarterback hits.
In 57 games with five starts, Jones has recorded 12.0 sacks, 22 tackles for loss, and 25 QB hits.
He was No. 56 on PFT’s list of the top 100 free agents of 2025.
Carolina wasn’t able to seal the deal with defensive lineman Milton Williams earlier on Monday. But the club does get an up-and-coming edge rusher with Jones.
Earlier on Monday, it was reported that the Panthers were working to finalize a deal with defensive tackle Milton Williams.
They weren’t able to get it done.
Instead, according to NFL Media, Williams has agreed to sign with the Patriots.
While the length of the deal was not reported, Williams is set to make $26 million per year.
Williams was No. 30 on PFT’s list of the top 100 free agents for 2025.
Williams, 25, just completed his rookie contract with the Eagles. A third-round pick in 2021, he recorded a career-high 5.0 sacks with seven tackles for loss and 10 QB hits in the 2024 regular season. He then posted 2.0 sacks with a pair of passes defensed and a forced fumble in four postseason games, helping Philadelphia win Super Bowl LIX.
The Patriots will now have a key piece to boost the middle of their defense in 2025.
