Another team has made a decision about exercising a fifth-year contract option for a 2016 first-round pick.
The Panthers announced on Thursday that they have declined their option on defensive tackle Vernon Butler’s deal. Friday is the deadline to exercise options and most teams have already made their calls.
Butler was the 30th overall pick in 2016 after playing college ball at Louisiana Tech. He has never played in all 16 games during a season and hasn’t seen more than 33 percent of the team’s defensive snaps at any point during his NFL career, which likely didn’t force the Panthers to think too hard about whether or not they should exercise the option.
Butler has 45 tackles and two sacks in his 38 regular season appearances.
