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Dan Morgan signed six key free agents in 2024, and the results after one season are more than positive for a rebuilding Carolina Panthers team.
The Carolina Panthers hired Dan Morgan as president of football operations and general manager on January 22, 2024. Morgan is a Panthers “lifer” after spending his seven-year NFL career in Charlotte from 2001 through 2007 then spending years in the Panthers front office. Let’s take a look back on Morgan’s rookie season as GM. Last week we graded his trades. This week we’ll assess Morgan’s performance with roster construction via free agency during the 2024 free agency period.
Free agency signings
The Panthers front office signed a plethora of guys throughout 2024 so the focus here is to assess how much return they got on their most expensive signings. For this article I’m only focusing on the six players whose annual average salary exceeded $5 million per year. The grade of each signing will be relative to expectations based on their salary, so the higher the salary, the higher the expectations. A “C” grade means the player met expectations for their contract.
Robert Hunt, Guard
Contract: 5 years, $100 million ($20 million/year) with $63 million guaranteed
Stats: 16 games (16 starts), 67.7 PFF grade (37th of 135 guards)
Expectations are high for Hunt given his nine-figure deal. Hunt’s $20 million average annual salary currently ranks tied for third highest in the league among guards, trailing only Landon Dickerson ($21 million) and Chris Lindstrom ($20.5 million), both of whom are three-time Pro Bowlers. While Robert Hunt didn’t make the Pro Bowl for the Panthers, he still had a solid season. PFF ranked him No. 37 among guards and No. 26 as a run blocker for his position. He is exactly the type of punishing interior blocker the Panthers offense needs. Additionally, his $20 million annual salary will become more palatable over time as the market resets every year and the salary cap continues to increase.
Signing grade: B
Damien Lewis, Guard
Contract: 4 years, $53 million ($13.3 million/year) with $26.2 million guaranteed
Stats: 16 games (16 starts), 75.5 PFF grade (17th of 135 guards)
Lewis and Hunt teamed up as the Panthers new dynamic duo along the interior offensive line. Lewis’s deal looks particularly good for Carolina. The fifth-year pro had a borderline Pro Bowl season protecting Bryce Young and opening holes for Chuba Hubbard. His PFF grade of 75.5 ranked 17th of 135 guards. Meanwhile, his $13.3 million average annual salary ranks just 16th among tackles and will become even more valuable to the team over the next three years.
Signing grade: A-
A’Shawn Robinson, Defensive End
Contract: 3 years, $22.5 million ($7.5 million/year) with $10.3 million guaranteed
Stats: 16 games (16 starts), 80 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 8 TFLs, 9 pressures
While the Panthers defense was historically bad, Robinson’s 80 tackles ranked third on the team and his 5.5 sacks tied for the most by any Panthers player. Those are pretty solid stats for a...
