Carolina Panthers buy time to negotiate new deal with key offensive lineman

Carolina may have just revealed their preferred starting center in 2025.

CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 23: Carolina Panthers guard Austin Corbett (63) during an NFL football game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers on October 23, 2022 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. / (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Nearly two months after their season ended, the Carolina Panthers are finally beginning to reshape their roster in preparation for the 2025 campaign. On Friday the team made their first significant move of the offseason, cutting nickel cornerback Dane Jackson and saving over $3 million in cap space as a result.

Cutting Jackson was always going to be an obvious move. He underperformed this past season (especially against the run) and second-year corner Chau Smith-Wade is a clear successor to take over full-time in the slot in 2025. So, what comes next for the Carolina Panthers after Jackson's completely unsurprising release?

No deal is imminent, but there is news on the negotiations for one key pending Panthers free agent. That would be Austin Corbett, a guard-converted-center who started five games for Carolina before an arm injuy (torn bicep) ended his season.

According to Joe Person at The Athletic, the Panthers have bought more time for themselves to talk out a new deal for Corbett. To get it done they pushed back the deadline for the void date on Corbett's contract from March 1 to March 11.

CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 29: Carolina Panthers center Austin Corbett (63) during an NFL football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Carolina Panthers on September 29, 2024 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte N.C. / (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

After Corbett underwent season-ending surgery, the Panthers tried to start Cade Mays at the center spot and then Brady Christensen. Neither of them performed as well as Corbett, though.

All three of those linemen are about to become free agents - and it's certainly worth keeping Christensen around given his versatility. Mays may also be worth keeping for continuity's sake, but the fact that the front office wants more time to negotiate with Corbett may be a hint that they prefer him to be their starter in 2025.

At least on paper, that looks like the right move going into this offseason. The Panthers have tons of holes to fill on the other side of the ball, and they'll need to address wide receiver in a significant way, as well. Re-signing Corbett checks off a lower-priority but still-important item on the to-do list: keeping a strong offensive line going at a high level.

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