Panthers' Top 5 Highest Paid Players for 2020 Season

The Carolina Panthers don't have much cap space to work with due to a lot of money being taken up by dead cap, so the front office did a good job of bringing in top talent without overpaying or putting themselves in a financial bind.

Today, we look at which players the Panthers are paying the most money to in 2020 and no, it's not Christian McCaffrey. He will be making $825k this year and his big money will kick in next season.

OT Russell Okung: $13 million

The Panthers finally have an anchor at left tackle and it was a point of emphasis this offseason for the team to improve in pass protection. This is why they elected to trade away Trai Turner, to get a veteran tackle like Russell Okung. Despite only being under contract for this season, Okung will be a huge benefit for Teddy Bridgewater, but also Greg Little who is still developing as a future starting tackle.

DL Kawann Short: $12.5 million

There's no one word that describes the importance of Kawann Short to the Panthers' defensive line. In his absence in 2019, the Panthers were a dissembled mess. They allowed the fourth most rushing yards in the NFL and clearly missed his presence. He will be pairing up with rookie Derrick Brown in 2020, which should make for a dominant duo up front.

QB Teddy Bridgewater: $8 million

Some may think the Panthers paid too much for Teddy Bridgewater, but there were several teams interested in him, making his value go way up. The reality is, if you want to pay a quality starting quarterback, you're going to have to pay up. Bridgewater will have three years to prove himself as the team's quarterback of the future.

C Matt Paradis: $5.5 million

Paradis is coming off his worst season since entering the NFL. He had extremely high expectations coming over from the Broncos, but has yet to even come close to the hype. The Panthers added Michael Schofield and Russell Okung, two guys that he played with in Denver. Maybe the familiarity will get him back on track. If not, the Panthers may be in the hunt for a new center in the near future.

WR Robby Anderson/LB Shaq Thompson: $4 million

Robby Anderson is a big play hitter. He brings something to the table that the Panthers didn't necessarily have a year ago. Yes, D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel can be home run threats, but Anderson makes a living off of it. I'm a little surprised that he came so cheap.

Shaq Thompson agreed to a new deal this offseason as the Panthers front office sees him as the next guy to lead the defense after Luke Kuechly retired a few months ago. He has a really high ceiling and could be a Pro Bowler in 2020.

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