Carolina Panthers offseason checklist: Poaching Super Bowl-winning Eagles defender should be top priority

With the new league year kicking off March 12, NFL teams are already deep into planning for the offseason.

Here are five moves the Carolina Panthers should make in the coming months.

1. Sign linebacker Zack Baun

In their relatively (by NFL standards) brief history, the Panthers have developed a strong history at linebacker. Hall of Famers Sam Mills and Kevin Greene have donned the Carolina blue, as well as 2004 Pro Bowler Dan Morgan, the team's current general manager, three-time Pro Bowler Thomas Davis and the best linebacker of the 2010s, Luke Kuechly.

The Panthers should add Baun, a 2024 first-team All-Pro, to the list. He'd fill an enormous void. The Panthers ranked last in scoring defense (31.4 points allowed per game) and yards allowed (6,877) in 2024.

Baun manned the middle of the Eagles defense and led the team with 151 tackles. During the playoffs, he became just the sixth defender since 1994 with at least 30 tackles and two interceptions in a single postseason. (h/t Stathead)

Philadelphia wants him back, but Carolina should make an aggressive offer to make Baun consider changing addresses.

2. Pick up tackle Ikem Ekwonu's 2026 fifth-year option

Ekwonu hasn't been the impenetrable force the Panthers likely hoped they were selecting when drafting him No. 6 overall in 2022. Ekwonu has allowed an average of 36.7 pressures and eight sacks per season in his first three years in the NFL. But he's a plus in run-blocking, part of a Panthers offensive line that ranked 10th in ESPN's 2024 run-block win rate rankings. With an $18.9 million fifth-year option, Ekwonu would be well behind the highest earners at tackle, making it a reasonable financial commitment.

3. Extend cornerback Jaycee Horn

Carolina's 2021 first-round pick is set to play on the final year of his five-year rookie option contract, earning $12.472 million. Per Pro Football Focus data, in 2024, Horn allowed 37 receptions on 68 targets (54.4 percent) and played in 15 games, his most in four seasons. 

Last offseason, Broncos corner Patrick Surtain II (four years, $96 million) and Falcons corner A.J. Terrell (four years, $81 million) were among the young outside corners to earn lucrative second contracts. Horn should follow. And with his injury history — he's missed 31 games during his career — he could be cheaper.

4. Release running back Miles Sanders

Running back Chuba Hubbard's explosion made Sanders expendable. In 2024, Hubbard had 250 carries, 1,195 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns and earned a four-year, $33.2 million contract.

Sanders's cap number is $8.175 million, based on his $5.5 million base salary, a prorated portion of his $5.9 million signing bonus ($1.475 million), a $1 million roster bonus and a $200,000 workout bonus.

By releasing him before March 15, the Panthers would only have $2.95 million in dead money (his remaining signing bonus) to account for on their 2025 cap, saving $5.225 million.

5. Select wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan at No. 8 overall

Conventional wisdom says Carolina must go with a defensive player with its first-round pick. But McMillan should be the pick if he's on the board at No. 8. 

The Panthers don't have a true No. 1 wideout. McMillan is arguably the second-best in the class (behind Colorado's dual-threat Heisman winner Travis Hunter). He was one of the only bright spots for Arizona last season, ending the year with 84 receptions, 1,319 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns. McMillan's 3,423 career receiving yards are the most in Arizona program history, and his 26 receiving touchdowns rank third.

Adam Thielen, who turns 35 in August, has been quarterback Bryce Young's most reliable target. 2024 first-rounder Xavier Legette was up-and-down while undrafted free agent Jalen Coker was an excellent find by the scouting department.

McMillan would instantly become Young's best target, and Carolina could use its remaining eight picks (including seven in the first five rounds) and free agency to address its defense.