CHARLOTTE — Taylor Moton had achieved dad status in the locker room years ago. He was the adult in the room, the one telling guys to pick up their dirty towels off the floor and keep the place neat.

Somewhere along the last year, he added another title, becoming the "unc" of this bunch.

"That's just, it's a surreal moment; it's like, wow, I didn't really think it would be to where I'm at now," Moton said earlier this offseason. "Everyone's calling me OG and 'unc' in the locker room and all that, but ultimately, it's a blessing, man."

For some kids, "unc" can be a pejorative, implying that the person may not be attuned to current styles or trends. But really, if you reach that status in the NFL, it's for a good reason, and that's where Taylor Moton comes in.

"It's a responsibility in my eyes too, to try to help the new guys coming in," he said of the responsibility that comes with age. "Just show them. Whether it's by actions or verbally, show them that hey, this is probably what you should be doing to help you stick around the league, or if you want to be successful, this is what I learned, this is what didn't work for me, this is what did or didn't."

The 31-year-old Moton learned those lessons the way lessons are best learned, over time.

After all, he was one of two players on the roster (along with eternal long snapper JJ Jansen) who had appeared in a playoff game for this team prior to last year's division title, and classic wild card game against the Rams. Moton has played alongside guys like soon-to-be Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly and has seen what it looks like to do the little things the right way.

"I tell them about guys, like what I learned from a Luke Kuechly, right?" Moton said. "I was blessed to be able to pass the knowledge along, and I just feel like that's a responsibility I don't take for granted."

But that longevity also means he's got some miles on his tires, and the kids these days will take any chance to make their jokes.

"I don't think of it as an insult," Moton laughed. "But I do think of it as a, yeah, I'm the old man locker room now.

"But, I don't feel it. I feel young, right?"

This offseason has signaled at least a degree of planning for the future by the team, which is the reality in the NFL. With left tackle Ikem Ekwonu's return date uncertain after a torn patellar tendon in the playoff game, the Panthers signed former Packers left tackle Rasheed Walker in free agency and drafted Georgia's Monroe Freeling in the first round, giving Moton a new young one to mentor.

When he thinks about that role, he thinks about the way he learned from former All-Pro tackle Daryl Williams when he got here, and how he can pass that down.

But make no mistake, he's still here to play.

The numbers suggest he's still getting it done at a high level. He had an 80.5 overall grade from PFF last year, 15th among 89 qualifying tackles in the entire league (putting him in the top sixth of the league at his position).

And while he missed a game last year and three the year before, his availability remains one of his signature traits, as he's played 145 games, and those are the only four he's missed in a decorated career.

So while he got emotional last year thinking about his contract status and the extension that he hopes will allow him to retire here, he isn't thinking about what comes after football.

He's thinking about what's next, and that's Year 10.

"Ultimately, I feel great running around with all the guys, the young guys, whatever it is," he said. "But I'm feeling young, I'm feeling like I'm moving well, and I'm feeling like right now I'm still in my prime, right?

"I don't feel like I'm slowing down. So ultimately, just every year I come in, I work to have my best season yet, and that's not changing going into Year 10."

That's the attitude that's helped him hang around this long.

And that's allowed him to attain "unc" status — and prove how cool that actually is.