NFL analyst rips Panthers to shreds over Tre'von Moehrig contract

The Carolina Panthers spent $51 million over three years to get Tre'von Moehrig on the open market. Moehrig, a terrific run defender who struggles a bit in pass coverage, was one of the top available safeties, and Carolina desperately needed help at that position.

That said, before Moehrig has taken a snap for the Panthers in the regular season, the signing has been criticized heavily. Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox listed his deal as one of the worst in the NFL, ranking it similarly to the Kirk Cousins contract.

Tre'von Moehrig is a bad contract, NFL insider claims

The Carolina Panthers were a bad team with money to spend and holes to fill. That meant that they were inevitably going to overpay for most free agents, which is what Kristopher Knox thinks Carolina did with Tre'von Moehrig. "The 26-year-old developed into a fairly reliable starter for the Las Vegas Raiders but hasn't established himself as a top-tier player yet," he said.

He continued, detailing the safety's shortcomings, "Moehrig allowed an opposing passer rating of 92.5 in 2024 and was graded 59th overall among safeties by Pro Football Focus. To land him on the open market, Carolina made Moehrig the league's sixth-highest-paid safety in terms of yearly value and gave him more guaranteed money than all but four NFL safeties."

Moehrig excels in the run game, which was Carolina's biggest weakness last year. Nevertheless, Knox believes it's a big overpay for someone who could potentially adversely impact the pass defense. Carolina's safety room was awful last year, though, so it's hard to imagine Moehrig not being at least an upgrade, one Carolina would probably be fine overpaying for.