The Carolina Panthers made two key moves to shore up their secondary on Monday.
First, the Panthers locked up cornerback Jaycee Horn with a new four-year, $100 million contract extension that will make him the highest-paid defensive back in the league, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday. The deal includes $70 million guaranteed, per Rapoport.
Hours later, Carolina agreed to a three-year contract with Tre'von Moehrig, one of the top available safeties in free agency. Moehrig's deal is worth $51 million with a maximum value of $60 million, per Rapoport and NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero.
Not content to stop at bolstering the back end, Carolina then added a pair of big bodies on the defensive line. Former Chiefs defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton agreed to a three-year, $54 million max deal ($30 million guaranteed) with the team, per NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo, while Rapoport reported Rams DT Bobby Brown III is set to join on a three-year, $21 million contract that can reach up to $27 million after incentives.
A former top-10 pick, Horn entered 2024 wanting to prove himself as one of the league's best corners. Although he only intercepted one pass, Horn also had 13 pass break-ups and 2.0 sacks in 15 starts to earn his first Pro Bowl bid.
The new deal will pay Horn an average of $25 million per season, which tops the two previous highest contracts at corner -- Miami's Jalen Ramsey ($24.1 million APY) and Denver's Patrick Surtain II ($24M APY).
Horn, 25, is also now the highest-paid Panther, topping defensive tackle Derrick Brown, whose deal averages $24 million per season. In 37 career starts, Horn has totaled five interceptions, 26 passes defensed, two sacks and eight tackles for loss.
Moehrig, 26, is another young piece for the Panthers to build their defense around. Moehrig has emerged as one of the better young safeties in the NFL, recording five interceptions over the past two seasons with the Raiders.
Wharton, also 26, is coming off a season with the Chiefs in which he started a career-high 10 games and logged a career-high 6.5 sacks. That nearly doubled his previous total, to bring his sack number through five seasons up to 13.5. Brown, meanwhile, plays more the run-stuffer role. He appeared in 49 games with 30 starts in four years for the Rams and logged a career-best 41 tackles last season.
They'll both play a massive role in helping close the lanes as the Panthers aim to rebound from sporting the league's worst rushing defense during the 2024 campaign. Should Wharton and Brown prove effective turning the tide, it'll only benefit Horn and the incoming Moehrig in trying to make good on their respective deals.
