Panthers sign star RT Taylor Moton to four-year, $72M extension

The Panthers and Taylor Moton have officially agreed to a new four-year, $72M deal, via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. The deal includes $43M in guaranteed cash, putting Moton at the top of the market for right tackles. 

Moton is now one of the highest-paid players at his position, scoring long-term stability over his original one-year, $13.75M tender. The 26-year-old (27 in August) has started 48 straight games at right tackle for the Panthers, with Pro Football Focus grading him as a top-20 tackle in each of those three campaigns. That included 2020, a season when he ranked as a top-five right tackle. The lineman also saw just one penalty called against him, an impressive feat given all those snaps. And, in 2019, he played on all but six of the Panthers’ plays.

Previously, we heard that the Panthers were a long ways from locking down their former second-round pick. Now, they’ve got him under contract for years to come. It’s a slightly shorter deal than Ryan Ramczyk’s recent pact with the Saints, but he’s not too far behind in terms of average annual value. Still, Ramczyk has the edge with his five-year, $96M deal that includes $60M in guarantees, good for a $19.2M AAV. Eagles veteran Lane Johnson, meanwhile, is just behind with $55M in guaranteed dollars.

Moton was the third offensive lineman to be tagged in team history. Now, just like left tackle Jordan Gross and center Ryan Kalil, he’s parlayed that into a long-term arrangement.