Can Panthers Afford to Sign Deebo Samuel, David Njoku, Other Remaining FAs?

The Carolina Panthers had very little money to begin with in free agency. Somehow, they spent a ton on free agents to fill major holes, and they've managed to do it all without putting themselves into "cap hell" as NFL teams often call it.

They've been linked to players like Deebo Samuel and Darren Waller. David Njoku remains a fit, too. Dan Morgan has said the Panthers aren't ruling out another addition.

But the important question is, do the Panthers even have the money to sign those players? It certainly seems impossible, but here's what the situation actually looks like.

Examining current Panthers cap space situation

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd (0) celebrates a fumble recovery with cornerback Montaric Brown | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Panthers entered the offseason with just over $10 million in cap space. The fact that they have $5.2 million left, according to Bleacher Report, is astonishing, especially when factoring in the sheer star power they signed.

Jaelan Phillips got $30 million yearly. Devin Lloyd got $15 million. Rasheed Walker got almost $4. So did Kenny Pickett. That doesn't even include re-signing Isaiah Simmons, Akayleb Evans, or Nick Scott.

It also doesn't factor in the smaller additions of Stone Forsythe, Luke Fortner, or John Metchie. The Panthers added a ton, yet they only halved their cap space, more or less.

This is because GM Dan Morgan is apparently a wizard with the cap. There are so many moves to be made to do this: restructures, trades, extensions, and cuts. Morgan used a restructuring for Derrick Brown, a trade of Andy Dalton, and a release of A'Shawn Robinson to help.

He also got creative in backloading the contracts of players he signed with clever voids and other tricks for down the road. It was really excellent work, and the fact that they're under the cap after all that is highly impressive.

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jaelan Phillips (50) walks off the field after win | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

But it doesn't leave a whole lot of room to sign any more star free agents. That $5.2 million could be stretched, but it's not very likely. And either way, the Panthers seem pretty much done with free agency, and more contracts would mean more problems later on.

They're going to have to get creative through the duration of Phillips' and Lloyd's contracts to do anything in 2027 or 2028 (and 2029 in Phillips' case), so adding more money now makes that trickier.

The exception would be to go with one-year deals like they did for Rasheed Walker and John Metchie, but will that attract Deebo Samuel and others? At this point, maybe, but we wouldn't count on it.