The Panthers are releasing nickel cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Munnerlyn, 31 in April, should have suitors given that this is an uncharacteristically soft crop for free agent slot corners. 
Munnerlyn spent the first five seasons of his career with the Panthers before hooking on with the Vikings as a free agent in 2014. After the expiration of his three-year, $14.25MM deal, he returned to Carolina on a four-year, $21MM deal in 2017. By releasing him midway through the deal, the Panthers will save $2MM against the cap while carrying $3MM in dead money.
Last year, Munnerlyn appeared in all 16 games for Carolina, including five starts. He recorded 47 total stops, two sacks, an interception, and nine passes defensed in 2018. The advanced metrics weren’t wild about him, however, as he placed as the No. 83 cornerback in the NFL out of 112 qualified players, per Pro Football Focus.
The Panthers also decided to move on from safety Mike Adams, so the Panthers are clearly looking to overhaul their secondary in 2019. Last year, the Panthers’ secondary allowed an average of 240 passing yards per game, putting them roughly in the middle of the pack, so there’s room for improvement.
Jon Gruden loves this guy.
Captain Munnerlyn was my favorite superhero. Apparently Thanos killed him with the snap.
I love Captain.
It’s pretty hard not to. The guy has been a solid contributor and lasted a lot longer than most 7th round picks.
Well I’m biased. I’m a gamecocks fan not a panthers fan.
The cost cutting efforts of the Panthers are rumored to include replacing Captain Munnerlyn with Ensign Parker.