The Panthers have reworked the contract of offensive tackle Matt Kalil by converting his $10MM option bonus into a signing bonus, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
As Yates indicates, converting an option bonus into a signing bonus doesn’t change much about Kalil’s contract, except to ensure that he receives the $10MM immediately. Additionally, while the Panthers could not recoup any portion of an option bonus were Kalil to retire or be suspended, the club could recover Kalil’s signing bonus if need be.
There was never any doubt that Kalil would be part of Carolina’s 2018 roster, as the five-year, $55.5MM contract he inked last offseason will likely keep him in the Panthers’ plans for at least two more years. Carolina would incur $20.6MM in dead money by releasing Kalil now, and $14.7MM if they wait until 2019. In both seasons, it would actually cost the Panthers more to cut Kalil than it would to retain him.
The 28-year-old Kalil is the 11th-highest-paid left tackle in the NFL on an annual basis, but he didn’t live up to that salary in 2017, as Pro Football Focus ranked him as the No. 55 tackle among 81 qualifiers. Kalil has started all 16 games in five of six NFL seasons, but he hasn’t received an above-average grade from PFF since his rookie campaign in 2012.