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Carolina Panthers Set Up Well to Build on 2025 Success

The Panthers should be able to keep building and get better.
Zach Roberts|
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) shakes hands with wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) shakes hands with wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

The hardest thing about remaining good year after year in the NFL is the roster turnover. Free agents leave, rookies come in, and more changes occur every offseason, leaving every team in a slightly different shape than they were before.

For one thing, it's virtually impossible to retain every player year after year. It's also not plausible with talented rookies coming in. When the Carolina Panthers take the field again in August, they won't look like they did in January.

This can be a good thing sometimes, especially if you're a bad, rebuilding team in need of change. But if you're on the rise? It can be hard to keep momentum going with a different group the next season.

Fortunately for the Panthers, that's not really going to be the case. They do have 18 free agents, but most of them are inconsequential. When weighted based on contract value and other factors, the Panthers are keeping their nucleus together more than most teams.

Based on the weighted scale, the Panthers are in the ideal range of the above chart. They're set up as well as the Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos, two of the best teams in the NFL. They're in the same region as the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, two excellent teams.

Put simply, the Panthers won't be stunted next year by losing key players or a lack of chemistry. They have pretty much all their key contributors coming back, including Derrick Brown, Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, Bryce Young, Tetairoa McMillan, Robert Hunt, Damien Lewis, Taylor Moton, Jalen Coker, and Chuba Hubbard.

They will fill in the minor gaps with rookies and free agents, perhaps adding players to the nucleus. But regardless, the majority of the production from last season will come back and will have had one more full season to build chemistry and develop.

It all bodes well for the Panthers, especially after finally taking a step forward. It would've been disappointing if they'd finally made it but had key free agents set to leave or major contract decisions to make (which they don't yet).

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Zach Roberts
ZACH ROBERTS

Zachary Roberts is a journalist with a wide variety of experience covering basketball, golf, entertainment, video games, music, football, baseball, and hockey. He currently covers Charlotte sports teams and has been featured on Sportskeeda, Yardbarker, MSN, and On SI.

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