Tee Higgins to the Rescue: Panthers’ Offense Desperate for Star Power, But a Costly Contract Throws Problem
Tee Higgins headlines the NFL free agency class at wide receiver, which is undoubtedly a group that the Carolina Panthers are keeping a close eye on. Their defense needs a ton of work (which will primarily be mostly draft-aided), but they’re also in need of a true number-one wide receiver.
The trio of Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, and Adam Thielen is fine enough, but Bryce Young needs a true dominant wide receiver who can be his go-to who isn’t closer to retirement than he is to his draft year. Tee Higgins has often been pegged as the ideal candidate, but can Carolina even afford him?
Does Carolina have the cap space to sign Tee Higgins?
The Carolina Panthers have about $22 million in cap space for 2025 right now. They will undoubtedly make some moves (restructures, trades, releases) to clear up more, but it’s hard to imagine them getting more than $35 million in cap space for 2025.
Unfortunately, that means that Tee Higgins is all but out of reach. In September, Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News projected that Higgins would sign for at least $25 million AAV. That’s more than the Panthers currently even have.
Even if they do work some cap magic, and they certainly will try, it’s unlikely that they can justify Higgins. Given that he’s 25 and supremely talented, there will be a bidding war. Higgins might make $30 million or more in yearly salary, and the Panthers can’t afford that. Even if they could get it to his $25 million floor, that’s a major chunk of all their cap space.
That’s just not ideal for a team that needs to add at least seven defensive starters in 2025. The draft will help, but they’ll need some of that money to sign free-agent defenders, too. The offense as it’s constructed can succeed, as Bryce Young and company showed down the stretch. Unfortunately, that means Higgins is off the table.
If the Panthers do get a star WR, it will be in the draft (Tetairoa McMillan, Luther Burden, Emeka Egbuka) or via trade (Garrett Wilson, DJ Moore), not by signing Higgins in free agency. The most realistic free agents are Hollywood Brown or Darius Slayton, and they’re not number one guys.
