PHOENIX — The Panthers are trying to build — both a roster and a program.
But the way this team is built right now is with a lot of short-term players. They have only 29 players under contract beyond the 2026 season (of their 74), and after signing 10 outside free agents and bringing back 14 of their own this offseason, only three of those received more than one-year deals.
But for Panthers head coach Dave Canales, ever the glass-half-full guy, that is an opportunity, not a challenge.
"My approach will stay the same, but certainly you get a hungry player who understands the urgency of performing right now," Canales said Monday morning at the league meetings at the Arizona Biltmore resort. "I love that. I love the competition it brings out in our guys, whether it's the duration of their contract or whether it's the number of guys in that room, competing for these positions.
"It just brings everything up. You speak openly about that, and we understand it, but it's also important for us as a staff to know where these players are at so that we can respect what's going on in their environment. And be able to address them, talk to them a certain way, and also just make sure that while these personal goals are very important, that they align with our team goals."
Of those 29 players who are signed long-term, there are a few buckets of players. Some are recent draftees on their rookie contracts. Some are long-term Panthers like Taylor Moton, Derrick Brown, and Jaycee Horn, guys who were drafted and extended to be foundational pieces. But others were targeted free agents, from Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis in 2024, Tre'von Moehrig and Tershawn Wharton in 2025, or Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd this offseason.
Blending those key parts with a bunch of guys with something to prove is something Canales is thoughtful and intentional about as he thinks about this year's roster.
PANTHERS UNDER CONTRACT BEYOND 2026 (29)
Through 2027 (15)
LG Damien Lewis, RT Taylor Moton, TE Ja'Tavion Sanders, WR Xavier Legette, RB Jonathan Brooks, QB Bryce Young, DT Bobby Brown III, DT Tershawn Wharton, LB Trevin Wallace, LB Bam Martin-Scott, CB Corey Thornton, CB Chau Smith-Wade, S Tre'von Moehrig, K Ryan Fitzgerald, P Sam Martin.
Through 2028 (12)
RG Robert Hunt, TE Mitchell Evans, WR Tetairoa McMillan (with option for 2029), WR Jimmy Horn Jr., RB Chuba Hubbard, RB Trevor Etienne, DT Derrick Brown, DT Cam Jackson, OLB Nic Scourton, OLB Princely Umanmielen, LB Devin Lloyd, S Lathan Ransom.
Through 2029 (2)
OLB Jaelan Phillips, CB Jaycee Horn.
"Yeah, just making sure that we're staying true to the things we believe in, our play style," he said. "Great effort, enthusiasm, toughness, playing, smart, finish is our calling card. Pushing that forward, asking guys to adopt that part of it, making sure that we're not compromising the style in which we play.
"We're not compromising the style in which we interact with each other. And make sure that's a consistent, solid foundation, so the guys are capable of just coming to just be free and be at their best."
When executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis talked to reporters last week, he mentioned being between the stages of building and contending (on the way to sustaining), and as they made that transformation, they'd need to change the structure of the team.
"It's really hard to sustain anything when you're signing a bunch of one-year deals," Tilis said. "You really want long-term deals to sustain, and you also need to be able to continue to draft well.
"It really comes down to drafting well and having a really good process, and if we have that, then yeah, I think we can get pretty close to that sustaining level."
That puts the onus on continuing to draft contributing players and also continuing to build around them.
And while so many of them being on one-year deals might seem counterintuitive for a team that improved from two wins to five to eight over the last two seasons, for Dave Canales, it's about creating that competitive environment that pushes them all forward.
View photos as the Panthers welcome their newly signed free agents to Carolina. Players had the opportunity to tour Bank of America Stadium with loved ones after signing.
The Carolina Panthers sign Jaelen Phillips on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Jaelen Phillips on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Jaelen Phillips on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Jaelen Phillips on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Jaelen Phillips on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Jaelen Phillips on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Devin Lloyd on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Devin Lloyd on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Devin Lloyd on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Devin Lloyd on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Devin Lloyd on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Devin Lloyd on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Kenneth Pickett on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Kenneth Pickett on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Kenneth Pickett on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Kenneth Pickett on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Kenneth Pickett on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Luke Fortner on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Luke Fortner on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Luke Fortner on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Luke Fortner on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Luke Fortner on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Luke Fortner on Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Stone Forsythe on Friday, Mar. 13, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Stone Forsythe on Friday, Mar. 13, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Stone Forsythe on Friday, Mar. 13, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Stone Forsythe on Friday, Mar. 13, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign Stone Forsythe on Friday, Mar. 13, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign players Rasheed Walker on Saturday, Mar. 14, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign players Rasheed Walker on Saturday, Mar. 14, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign players Rasheed Walker on Saturday, Mar. 14, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign players Rasheed Walker on Saturday, Mar. 14, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign players Rasheed Walker on Saturday, Mar. 14, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign John Metchie on Monday, Mar. 16, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign John Metchie on Monday, Mar. 16, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign John Metchie on Monday, Mar. 16, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers sign John Metchie on Monday, Mar. 16, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
