MONDAY, 1:47pm: In addition to picking up their two option years on Davis, the Panthers also restructured his contract, creating additional flexibility for the 2014 season, reports Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. By agreeing to a $5MM signing bonus and tacking three voidable years onto Davis’ deal, the Panthers will reduce Davis’ cap number by $3.25MM for the 2014 season.
The Panthers are also hoping to restructure other contracts to create more cap savings, according to Person, who identifies defensive end Charles Johnson and center Ryan Kalil as potential candidates.
FRIDAY, 3:21pm: The Panthers have exercised their 2014 and 2015 years on Thomas Davis‘ contract, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. The longtime Carolina linebacker will earn $13.5MM over the next two seasons.
After three ACL tears sidelined Davis for all but nine regular-season games from 2009 to 2011, the former first-round pick has come back to start 28 contests in the last two seasons for the Panthers. Davis had perhaps his best season as a pro in 2013, racking up 123 tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions, while ranking as the third-best 4-3 outside linebacker in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Davis will be in line for a base salary of $2.75MM in 2014 and $7.25MM in 2015, with various bonuses adding a few more million dollars to his total earnings.
It’ll be good to see Davis still around – hopefully he can stay healthy and we can get a couple more 2013-type seasons.