One Carolina Panthers Contract That Will Age Poorly in 2026

The Carolina Panthers have a few somewhat questionable contracts on the books. Jaelan Phillips' $120 million deal is chief among them, as he's never had double-digit sacks and sits near the top in EDGE contracts.

No one wants to admit it because we all love him, but Jaycee Horn's contract isn't aging terribly well so far. Mike Jackson has borderline outplayed him for about a quarter the money. Tershawn Wharton has been an outright bust on his $45.05 million deal.

But those aren't going to be the worst contracts in 2026, even if Wharton misses more than half the season. So far, the Robert Hunt deal hasn't been terrible, but it could be a disappointing one this year.

Robert Hunt's contract could age poorly for Panthers this year

Carolina Panthers guard Robert Hunt (50) on the sidelines in the fourth quarter | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Robert Hunt signed for five years and $100 million in 2024. That's not an absurd investment, but $100 million is a big deal for the Panthers, and so far, Hunt hasn't quite looked like a $100 million man.

It's not as if Hunt has been bad. He's been fine, and he's a big part of the turnaround for Bryce Young. He and Damien Lewis came in and stabilized the offensive line, and that allowed Young to find his bearings.

But Hunt has been worse than Damien Lewis while costing almost twice as much. And with the Panthers upgrading at the other offensive line spots (save for right tackle, where Taylor Moton remains a star).

So if Monroe Freeling or Rasheed Walker do well at left tackle and Sam Hecht, poised to take over at center, pans out, then Hunt may genuinely end up being the worst offensive lineman on the starting line (which does say more about the depth of the line than Hunt).

And if that's the case, it'll be a tough pill to swallow that Hunt is, by cumulative value, the second-most expensive contract on the books. By AAV, he's fifth, which is still pretty up there.

Carolina Panthers guard Robert Hunt (50) during Fanfest | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

This is only compounded if Hunt continues to struggle with his health. He missed the vast majority of the season last year, and the Panthers simply can't have their prized offensive lineman on the bench so much next year.

For their own success, he needs to play. But for the financial aspect and the optics, it's imperative that he stays on the field this year and avoids any injury-related absences, or else the Panthers will look a little foolish for their huge investment in him.

Add us as a preferred source on Google