Why A'Shawn Robinson May Bring Panthers Back More Than Expected in Trade

The Carolina Panthers have allowed interior defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson to pursue a trade. He is a prominent cut candidate given his contract situation. A release would nearly double the Panthers' current cap space.

#Panthers DL A’Shawn Robinson has been granted permission to seek a trade, a league source confirmed. @josephperson had it first. Robinson, 30, finished with 68 tackles in 17 games played in 2025.

How Carolina would benefit from trading/releasing him, via Over The Cap: pic.twitter.com/232SEhIBFi
— Alex Zietlow (@alexzietlow05) February 27, 2026

He's essentially a rotational interior defensive lineman on a team that hasn't had a good interior over his tenure. Generally speaking, trades don't come about for those kinds of players, and they're eventually released.

However, this isn't a typical situation. Robinson is probably better than the average fan thinks, and the Panthers might not be forced to cut him if there's no market. This trade speculation could be much more important than we realize.

Cutting Robinson would free up $10.5 million in cap space. Any GM worth his salt will know that the Panthers need that money, and a release is the other prominent option, so why would they part with assets to get someone who may end up on the free agent market anyway?

The interior defensive line free agency group is pretty underwhelming.

I wouldn’t scoff at a trade w/ A’Shawn Robinson.

The #Panthers appeal for a trade is cap space, and being in the middle of every round can help them reach a deal with a pick swap up the board in same round.
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) February 27, 2026

There's not a lot of competition on the open market, though. If Robinson were to be released, he'd immediately be one of the most interesting IDL names out there. Teams would likely be very interested in him.

The highest projected IDL contract (per Spotrac) is roughly $10 million for a 39-year-old Calais Campbell. A'Shawn Robinson is not a household name, but he'd instantly be one of the better options out there.

A GM who needs an IDL might not be willing to risk a bidding war or the potential for him to go elsewhere, so they might be more forthcoming with a mid-round draft pick to ensure he gets Robinson on the roster.

The Panthers don't have to cut A'Shawn Robinson

Carolina Panthers defensive end A'Shawn Robinson (94) before the game | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

If that doesn't materialize, though, the Panthers would be stuck with A'Shawn Robinson, a player whose release would sadly bring about more financial benefit than perhaps his play on the field would.

However, that might not be the case. $10.5 million is a substantial amount to clear with one easy move, but the Panthers may not even want to move on unless a trade does materialize. Robinson was one of the team leaders in sacks in 2024, and he was a good run-stopper in 2025.

Losing him would mean the Panthers open up a rotational hole in their defense. Having a draft pick to compensate for that is one thing, but they'd need some of that $10.5 million his release would free up to replace his production.

Maybe he is released and the Panthers envision Cam Jackson, a 2025 rookie developmental player, stepping up, but the team's hands are not exactly tied here. They aren't without leverage or options.