ESPN unsure if Panthers will pay Jaycee Horn Pat Surtain kind of money

The Carolina Panthers are starting to free up salary cap room in preparation for free agency. Dane Jackson has been cut, and it sounds like Carolina wants to work out an extension with Austin Corbett. These are both reasonable moves to create cap space, but in order to really make a move in this department they're going to have to think bigger.

On that front, the next potential major contract that the Panthers agree to might be for star cornerback Jaycee Horn, who just appeared in his first Pro Bowl. Horn is about to play out the fifth-year option portion of his rookie contract, which comes with a fully-guaranteed $12,472,000 salary.

Obviously the Panthers have an interest in lowering that figure. The best way would be to give Horn a contract extension, which could save up to $9,041,600, according to Over the Cap. However, some analysts are wondering just how much Carolina will be willing to pay given Horn's injury history. Here's what Dan Graziano at ESPN had to say about it.

ESPN on potential Jaycee Horn deal

"The Panthers' 2021 first-round pick is slated to make $12.472 million this season on his fifth-year option, and the team has said it's interested in working out an extension to keep him in Carolina long term. Denver's Pat Surtain II got a four-year, $96 million deal in September, which is now the target for a top corner coming up for a contract. How high will the Panthers be willing to go for Horn, who has missed time in his career due to injury but is still only 25 and has been a key part of their defense when healthy? He broke up 11 passes this past season in Carolina."

Horn probably won't get Surtain money no matter where he goes, but the best corners around the league are all pulling in at least $19 million per year. It would be insulting not to pay Horn at least that much on his next deal. Our best guess is Horn will sign a new deal this offseason, but right now there are at least some signs that the two sides may be far apart.

For one thing, Horn's recent cryptic social media post could be a sign that he's dissatisfied with the organiztion. There have also been rumblings about Horn potentially being a trade candidate from some analysts.

Trading Horn would save the team from having to make a huge investment in a player who's only had one healthy season out of four - and would also save them just under $12.5 million in cap room for 2025. That's a bad way to go about this business, though. To give up on Horn when he's finally starting to live up his potential is the kind of move that's kept Carolina out of the playoffs for seven years running.

The Panthers should not hesitate to give Horn a top-10 contract - they can't control how lucky or unlucky he is with injuries - but they can invest in a high-level player at a critical position. They may haggle over numbers but this shouldnt be too complicated. Not getting an extension done for Horn this offseason would qualify as a big failure for this front office.

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