Can the Panthers Afford Donte Jackson & Stephon Gilmore?

With roughly $28 million available in cap space, the Carolina Panthers are going to have some tough decisions to make. Linebacker Haason Reddick is now a free agent, DJ Moore and Brian Burns are heading into their final years of their respective rookie deals, and Sam Darnold's $18 million 5th-year option is going to handicap this team and what they decide to do. 

Outside of those decisions, they have to choose between Donte Jackson and Stephon Gilmore. Yes, it could be possible that both return to the organization in 2022 but it would likely require one of them to take a much cheaper deal than anticipated. Jackson had the best year of his career this past season and is entering his prime, one would assume. He will more than likely want a three or four year deal which won't end up being very cheap. Stephon Gilmore, when healthy, is still viewed as one of the top corners in the game so it'll be interesting to see what he asks for given that he is 31 years old. 

Despite not having a great deal of cap space, Panthers GM Scott Fitterer doesn't necessarily view it as an either or situation but has to really dive into the numbers and sit down with each of them to see if bringing both back is possible. 

"I haven't even started negotiations with them," Fitterer said. "Samir [Suleiman] and I really haven't talked the numbers yet so I can't say. I'd love for them both to be here because I think they're both valuable players for us. Donte, I thought, had one of his best years in the NFL this year. Stephon is so smart and is so good for that room. He has a really special skill set. I don't know what those numbers are going to be yet but we'll work through that."

As good as Gilmore is, I have a feeling that if is possible to bring one back it will be Jackson. He's younger, potentially a little cheaper (per year), and gives them a starting corner for the next few years whereas Gilmore would be on a short-term deal. 

NFL free agency starts on March 16th at 4 p.m. EST.