Carolina Panthers Want to Keep Crucial FA, But Detroit Lions and Others Lurk

The Carolina Panthers currently do not have anyone on the roster who can play center. Cade Mays, arguably both their best center and most important free agent, may not be back. The same goes for Austin Corbett and Brady Christensen.

It is likely that the Panthers will bring back one or two of those players, but they may face an uphill battle in bringing back Mays. He's the best of the bunch, and he also has the hottest market of the three.

Outside of Tyler Linderbaum, who will be extremely costly, and Connor McGovern, Mays likely tops the center market, and while the Panthers want to keep him, they may be completely unable to.

Team insider Joe Person revealed, "Mays is someone the Panthers want to keep, but they could bow out of the bidding depending on what the Detroit Lions or another interested team is willing to spend on a 6-6, 325-pound center."

The Lions make a lot of sense for Mays. They lost Frank Ragnow last offseason and his failed comeback bid in 2025 didn't materialize. The simple fact that he tried to return but could not suggests that center may be this team's biggest need.

They have some internal candidates, but Mays may end up being their top target. Free agency is before the draft, so it wouldn't be a surprise if they preferred to sign Mays rather than try to draft a center.

If that's the case, the Lions have less salary cap space than the Panthers, but they also have fewer needs. The Lions can afford to devote as much as they can to Mays; the Panthers probably cannot.

Of course, the Lions won't be the only team interested. The Houston Texans were linked to Mays earlier this offseason, and there are tons of teams who may want a versatile IOL who can play center.

What happens if Cade Mays flees for Lions or elsewhere?

Carolina Panthers center Cade Mays (64) runs on the field before the game | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

If Cade Mays leaves, whether it's for the Lions or another team which currently feels quite plausible, the Panthers would have a glaring hole at center. Even if Austin Corbett is re-signed, he wasn't a great center. Brady Christensen is much more useful at guard.

Joe Person had some insight to this scenario, too. "If that happens, center becomes a legitimate target for the Panthers on the second day of the draft or early on the third," he wrote. The Panthers could end up with someone like Brian Parker or Sam Hecht.

He also noted that there are some in the organization that reserve center Nick Samac, a former seventh-round pick, could be good if given a shot, but that feels like a worst-case scenario emergency sort of move. They'd probably bring back Corbett and/or Christensen before giving Samac the job.