Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn (8) questions a call by the official during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

ESPN labels Jaycee Horn's contract with Panthers most ‘player-friendly deal’ at CB

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Russell Baxter | Last updated Jun 28, 2025 8:30 AM ET

Obviously, not all NFL contracts are the same. Dan Graziano of ESPN put together an informative piece on the subject. “This isn’t about labeling contracts as the “best” or “worst,” because a lot of that depends on perspective,” explained Graziano. “A contract that’s “bad” for the team could be “great” for the player, and vice versa. We wanted to highlight a couple of position groups and look at the poles in each—some of the most team-friendly deals versus some of the most player-friendly deals—and explain why…”

Six positions were addressed: quarterback, running back, wide receiver, edge, safety, and cornerback. When it comes to the latter, Graziano stated that the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the year, Patrick Surtain II, inked a team-friendly deal with the Denver Broncos prior to the start of the 2024 season.

As for the cornerback who signed a player-friendly deal, look no further than Carolina Panthers’ standout Jaycee Horn, who is coming off his first Pro Bowl campaign. Graziano reports that the 2021 first-round pick inked a four-year, $100 million deal.

“Horn signed his extension in March,” stated Graziano, “six months after Surtain signed his extension with the Broncos. Horn got a $28.402 million signing bonus, a fully guaranteed $1.67 million in 2025 and a fully guaranteed $16.635 million in 2026. His average annual salary of $25 million is the second highest of any corner in the league, surpassed only by (Derek) Stingley (Jr.), who signed about a week later and could also have been the example here.

“The reason we picked Horn is because he managed to get a top-two CB deal after four years in the league, during which he has played only 37 of a possible 68 games. Horn is a nice player, still only 25 years old and coming off a largely healthy season that landed him his first Pro Bowl nod. But he has been inconsistent in terms of health throughout his career and now has a deal that fully guarantees him money in 2026 and includes almost $23 million in total injury guarantees in 2027 and 2028.”

In 2024, Horn finished with career bests in games played (15), tackles (68), passes defensed (13), and also sacks (2.0). He also had one interception. It was a nice bounce back season for a player that missed 11 games the previous season.

““Basically,” added Graziano, “Horn and his agent got the Panthers to bet big that the injury issues will stay behind him and that he’ll blossom into the player they believed they were getting with the No. 8 pick in the 2021 draft. But that’s a pretty big bet in a risk-averse league, and the fact that Horn was able to top Surtain makes this contract a big, big win.”

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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