Which Panthers Are Entering Contract Years in 2023?

Contract years oftentimes go two ways - a player goes all out and earns himself a big paycheck or the pressure becomes too much and falls incredibly short of expectations, putting his future with his present team in danger.

The Panthers have a large inventory of players who are set to become free agents next spring and for a few of them, there's an opportunity to cash in on a future multi-year deal worth a lot of money.

Surprisingly, Brian Burns does not have a new deal yet. I figured something would have happened already but there's still some time to get a deal done ahead of training camp. If he enters the 2023 season without that shiny new contract, it could be that Burns is willing to bet on himself to become one of the highest paid players at his position. There's no doubt Carolina wants him to be here beyond the 2023 season, they just have to agree on a number.

Fellow linebacker Frankie Luvu is in a similar boat, although he won't demand nearly as much money as Burns. But that's no slight at Frankie - he's a damn good ball player and should have made the Pro Bowl a year ago.

The other two that could be in line for a big pay day are wide receiver DJ Chark and do-it-all defender, Jeremy Chinn.

The Panthers have a lot of quality bodies in the receiver room but entering 2023, there isn't a clear-cut No. 1 guy for rookie QB Bryce Young. Chark has been an explosive playmaker when healthy, so if he can stay on the field and produce, one could assume he'll get a multi-year offer to remain in Carolina.

As for Chinn, as long as he doesn't take some unexpected, massive step back, he'll be a Panther for years to come. Versatile defenders like him are hard to find and in Ejiro Evero's defense, he can become a true star.

PANTHERS' 2024 UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

WR Damiere Byrd

WR DJ Chark

WR Laviska Shenault Jr.

G Justin McCray

DE Henry Anderson

DE DeShawn Williams

LB Brian Burns

LB Yetur Gross-Matos

LB Kamu Grugier-Hill

LB Marquis Haynes Sr.

LB Frankie Luvu

LB/S Jeremy Chinn

CB C.J. Henderson

S Sam Franklin

S Eric Rowe

LS J.J. Jansen

PANTHERS' 2024 RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

FB Giovanni Ricci

TE Stephen Sullivan

DT John Penisini

PANTHERS' 2024 EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS

RB Raheem Blackshear

OT Larnel Coleman

WR Derek Wright

DE Kobe Jones

LB Chandler Wooten

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