Carolina Panthers Urged to Cut Ties With Improving IDL to Save $10.5 Million

For a team that still has several areas of the roster to fix to become a true contender in the NFC, the Carolina Panthers don't have a ton of money to play with this offseason. For now, that is.

Executive Vice President of Football Ops Brandt Tilis and GM Dan Morgan will be tasked with creating more cap space, meaning tough decisions (and conversations) are inevitable.

One move that has been suggested by Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine is to part ways with soon-to-be 31-year-old interior defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson.

"A'Shawn Robinson is set up to be a textbook cap casualty. He was a solid player for the Panthers this season and played an important role in the success of their defense. Unfortunately for him, the next year on his contract might price him out of their plans.

"Nearly all of his $12.6 million cap hit can be shed if they cut him. He'll be 31 in March, so the Panthers would have to be really confident that he'll continue producing to be willing to pay that price with their cap situation."

How much cap space would the Panthers have if this move is made?

Oct 19, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive end A'Shawn Robinson (94) reacts after a sack in the second quarter against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

According to the data on Spotrac, this would give the Panthers would have $22,487,593 available. That would only bump them up one spot among all 32 teams by how they're currently constructed, surpassing Tampa Bay for 17th-most cap space. More moves will be made, including some possible restructures of contracts, although it's something Dan Morgan is not a huge fan of.

Would moving on from Robinson be the right move?

As solid and consistent as he was in 2025, you can find a replacement for much cheaper, even if you have to recreate his production in the aggregate. The Panthers desperately need to improve their pass rush, and for that to happen, they're going to have no choice but to free up money. I'm not sure it's worth paying a 31-year-old defensive lineman a salary of $7.6M that carries a cap hit of $12.5M, when you can turn the draft or the development of those currently on the roster.

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