Carolina Panthers corner back Jaycee Horn will become the highest paid defensive back in NFL history once his new deal with the team becomes official sources say.
The former 8th overall pick in the 2021 draft is set to sign a 4 year, $25M extension which will keep him tied to the Panthers through the 2029 NFL season. The contract, valued at $100M, includes $70M of guaranteed money, and could go as high as $108M if all escalators are hit.
Horn was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2024 after recording a career high 68 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 INT for a depleted Carolina defensive unit. He also suited up for 98% of the team’s defensive snaps across 15 games.
“I think I said that to you guys the last time I talked to you guys, that Jaycee is obviously the focal point of the defence, somebody that we’re going to want here long-term, and, and we’re going to work on getting him a long-term deal,” GM Dan Morgan said in January.
“I’m really just learning football, you know, being out there’s different,” Horn told reporters earlier this year. “We learn in the classroom, but we actually get the snaps and get the reps, the game slows down a lot, so I feel like the game slowed down a lot for me from Week 1 to the last game I played, so I’m just excited to get back next year and try to stack them up.”
The 25 year old’s deal that completely resets the cornerback market across the NFL from a money standpoint. Horn’s $25 million AAV makes him the highest-paid corner in the NFL coming in ahead of Jalen Ramsey ($24.1M), Patrick Surtain ($24M), and Jaire Alexander ($21M).
As a result, of the extension, the Panthers also created an additional $9M in cap space which they can use this offseason. That’s no small feat considering how despite their lacklustre roster, Carolina ranks 22nd in the NFL in terms of available cap space (projected $21M per Spotrac). And when you’re a team with as many holes as the Panthers have, that space could be especially helpful this spring.
Horn allowed a 51% completion percentage as the nearest defender in 2024 per NFL Next Gen. A mark that ranked him 2nd best in the league, trailing only Christian Gonzalez (53%) for the lead.
Following a 5-12 season, Carolina will select 8th overall in the NFL Draft in a few weeks time.
Photo: Jas&Suz. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.