Brady Christensen

NFC South Contract Details: Deablo, Hughes, Rozeboom, Jackson

March 18th, 2025 at 11:02pm CST by Ely Allen

As we continue to see new details come out for contracts on recent free agency deals, we’ll attempt to corral some of the more important pieces of information here. Specifically, here are some coming from two teams out of the NFC South:

Divine Deablo, LB (Falcons): Two years, $14MM. The contract, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, includes $7.66MM of guaranteed money. $6.66MM, including a $6MM signing bonus, is guaranteed at signing, with the remaining $660K coming from his 2025 base salary of $1.66MM. His 2026 base salary of $5.66MM has $1MM guaranteed for injury, which will convert to a full guarantee on the fifth day of the 2026 new league year. Deablo can also earn per game active roster bonuses of $20K for a potential, two-season total of $680K.
KhaDarel Hodge, WR (Falcons): Two years, $5.5MM. Per Wilson, the deal has a $6MM maximum value and includes $2.51MM in guarantees including a signing bonus of $1.25MM. The remaining $1.26MM of guarantees is Hodge’s 2025 base salary. Like Deablo, Hodge also has a $20K per game active roster bonus for 2026. Unlike Deablo, his 2025 per game active roster bonus is only $15K. Hodge can also earn an additional $500K annual incentive based on playing time and catches.
Mike Hughes, CB (Falcons): Three years, $18MM. Wilson tells us that Hughes’ new deal has $9.64MM guaranteed at signing including a $5MM signing bonus. The remaining guarantees are comprised of his 2025 ($1.32MM) and 2026 ($3.32MM) base salaries. Hughes’ per game active roster bonus for each year will be $40K.
Brady Christensen, OL (Panthers): One year, $2.79MM. Per Wilson, Christensen’s deal is fully guaranteed at signing and includes a signing bonus of $167.5K.
Sam Martin, P (Panthers): One year, $1.6MM. According to Wilson, Martin’s deal is fully guaranteed at signing and includes a $345K signing bonus. The contract also includes incentives up to $1.4MM based on punt average, a Pro Bowl selection, and playoff qualification.
Christian Rozeboom, LB (Panthers): One year, $2.5MM. Wilson tells us that Rozeboom’s contract includes $1.97MM guaranteed at signing, including a signing bonus of $800K and Rozeboom’s base salary of $1.17MM. Rozeboom can earn $1MM of incentives based on playing time and team performance, and he has a per game active roster bonus of $30K for a potential season total of $510K.
Michael Jackson, CB (Panthers): Two years, $10.5MM. Per Wilson, Jackson’s new contract includes $7.7MM of total guarantees with $5.7MM guaranteed at signing. $4MM of the initial guarantees come in the form of a signing bonus, while the remaining $1.7MM will come from cash compensation in 2025. The remaining $2MM of total guarantees comes from Jackson’s 2026 salary and becomes fully guaranteed on the third day of the 2026 new league year. The deal includes $2MM of incentives based on playing time and playoff qualification, and he has a per game active roster bonus of $30K. Lastly, Jackson will receive a workout bonus of $20K in 2025 and $40K in 2026.

Panthers Re-Sign OL Brady Christensen, Add P Sam Martin

March 11th, 2025 at 9:14pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Panthers have re-signed offensive lineman Brady Christensen and agreed to terms with veteran punter Sam Martin, according to a pair of team announcements.

Christensen will receive a one-year, $2.8MM contract that is fully-guaranteed, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Carolina first acquired him with a third-round pick (No. 70 overall) in 2021 after a stellar career at BYU.

The Panthers tried to keep him at tackle as a rookie, but he moved inside in 2022 and started all 17 games at left guard. A biceps tear ended Christensen’s 2023 season after just one game, and he didn’t earn a starting job in 2024. Injuries pressed him into action anyway, and he finished the season with four starts at center and two at left tackle. The 28-year-old will compete for a starting role along the interior of the offensive line in 2025.

Martin’s deal is worth up to $3MM over one year, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He was released by the Bills last week after spending the last three years in Buffalo. The 35-year-old previously punted for the Broncos (2020-2021) after starting his career with the Lions (2013-2019).

Statistically, Martin was a below-average punter in 2024. He has been consistent throughout his career, but has never profiled as one of the league’s best at his position. A $3M APY would move Martin into a tie with several other players as the third-highest-paid punter in the NFL, but the language of Rapoport’s report indicates that the deal’s base value is lower.

NFC South Notes: Panthers, David, Bucs

January 16th, 2025 at 6:37pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson has played just six games in the last two seasons due to a broken fibula in 2023 followed by an Achilles tear this past September.

Thompson led the Panthers in tackles each year from 2020 to 2022 but still took a pay cut to stay in Carolina after his 2023 injury. Rather than a strong comeback to earn another multiyear extension, Thompson went down for the season after just four starts. Now, the 2015 first-round pick is set to his free agency in March for the first time in his career, though he’d prefer to finish his career with the team that drafted him. ‘

“I would love to end my career here. Be one of the guys in history to play with one team,” said Thompson, per Joseph Person of the Athletic. “But it’s up to them. These two injuries … there’s nothing I can do. But it happened. Get better and come back strong.”

Thompson’s injury occurred early enough in the 2024 season that he could be ready for training camp next summer, barring any setbacks. But after two season-ending injuries, teams will likely wait for Thompson to be healthy before they make any contract offers. The 10-year veteran’s desire to stay in Carolina could motivated him to sign a team-friendly deal with the Panthers. That would allow him to stay in his current home and rehab with the team’s familiar medical and training staff.

Here is the latest from the NFC South:

The Panthers have several other pending free agents, including cornerback Michael Jackson. Carolina traded for the 2019 fifth-rounder before the regular season, and he started all 17 games despite his lack of familiarity with their defense. Head coach Dave Canales said that Jackson is “exactly the type of guy we want to have here,” according to Person, indicating that the team is open to re-signing the former Seahawk.
Panthers O-lineman Brady Christensen is more likely to test the market, per ESPN’s David Newton. The former third-round pick recovered from last year’s biceps tear to start four games at center and two at left tackle this season. Christensen will likely be looking for a starting opportunity this offseason, most likely at guard or center.
Xavier Legette played through a wrist injury as a rookie and will likely undergo surgery in the offseason, per Person. The injury originally occurred when he was at South Carolina, though the Panthers’ first-round pick insisted that it did not impact his play this season.
In Tampa Bay, 34-year-old linebacker Lavonte David is unsure about his future. He has played for the Buccaneers for his entire 13-year career and is the team’s second-leading tackler behind Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks. “I got a lot to think about, man,” David said when asked about his potential retirement (via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times). “Go ahead, go home, get my little girl, be a dad and go from there.’’
One player the Bucs are set to retain in 2025 is punter Jack Browning, who signed to the team’s active roster late in the 2024 season. His deal included a one-year extension for the 2025 season for a non-guaranteed minimum salary of $960k, per The Athletic’s Greg Auman. Browning is no certainty to make the team’s 53-man roster out of training camp, but he will have a chance to compete for the punting job in Tampa Bay.

Panthers Move Austin Corbett To C; Brady Christensen In Mix At Position

May 3rd, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Injuries disrupted the Panthers’ guard plans over the past two seasons. The Austin Corbett–Brady Christensen tandem’s two-year run involved a combined four season-ending injuries, and Carolina’s free agency plan ensured neither would be in position to start at guard again.

The team gave Robert Hunt a five-year, $100MM deal and brought in Damien Lewis on a four-year, $53MM pact. The ex-Dolphins and Seahawks blockers are in place at guard, displacing Corbett and Christensen. The Panthers’ release of Bradley Bozeman cleared a path at center, however, and Corbett is the clubhouse leader to commandeer the gig.

“You know, just scrolling in my phone, and here comes free agency, and I said, ‘Oh, there’s a guard,'” Corbett said, via Panthers.com’s Darin Gantt. “And I figured, OK, and then it’s like, ‘Oh, we got another one.’ There you go. Well, I guess it leaves me on the inside. I just talk too much anyway. So it was inevitable. I was going to end up in there at some point in my career.”

Panthers GM Dan Morgan confirmed Corbett is “progressing well” at center. The former Browns second-round pick has been a full-time guard starter dating back to the 2019 season, when the Rams moved him into their lineup following a midseason trade. Corbett, 28, has never made a snap at center in an NFL game. He was a four-year tackle starter (three years at left tackle, one at RT) at Nevada, making this an interesting “best five”-based plan from the Panthers.

Corbett signed a three-year, $26.25MM deal in 2022 — the team’s final Matt Rhule-run offseason — and has $2MM in guaranteed 2024 salary. The seventh-year veteran suffered a torn ACL during the Panthers’ 2022 season finale, leading to a reserve/PUP list stay in 2023. An MCL injury in November of last year shelved Corbett during what became the Panthers worst season in 22 years. Christensen, who sustained a broken ankle in that damaging Week 18 game in New Orleans, completed a successful rehab effort to return by Week 1 of last season. But a biceps injury sidelined the BYU alum for the Panthers’ final 16 games last year.

Moved from tackle to guard in 2022, Christensen has made 24 NFL starts. Morgan confirmed the 2021 third-rounder will see center reps, potentially creating a competition between the two supplanted guards for the pivot role.

Last season marked a rough year for Carolina’s O-line, with neither of the team’s tackles (Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton) playing well. With both tackles back and the Hunt-Lewis duo entrenched, the Panthers only have room for one of the two benched guards in their 2024 lineup.

“I think he’s progressing well, and I think Dave (Canales) would say the same thing,” Morgan said (via SI.com) of Corbett. “I think him, along with Brady Christensen, you know, he’s been getting some snaps at center. You know, we feel like he has a lot of potential there as well. We feel good about it, but we are always going to be looking to challenge our roster and get better and create that competition. We’re not going to leave anything — we’re not going to close the door on bringing somebody else in as well.”

Panthers G Brady Christensen Out For Year

September 16th, 2023 at 4:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

SEPTMEBER 16: Frank Reich made the announcement today that second-year interior lineman Cade Mays will start in Christensen’s place for now, according to Panthers staff writer Darin Gantt. He reportedly declined to specify whether Mays would start at right or left guard, though. Last week, Zavala made the start at right guard in Corbett’s place across from Christensen. That being said, Zavala played most of his college career, at Fairmont State and NC State, at left guard. This should give Reich some flexibility in how he wants to address his starting lineup with two backups at guard.

SEPTMEBER 13: Reminding of the situation to close last season, the Panthers will be without both their starting guards. Brady Christensen is now on IR. The third-year blocker sustained a biceps injury late in Carolina’s loss in Atlanta.

The injury Christensen suffered will sideline him for the rest of the season, David Newton of ESPN.com notes. Potentially a biceps tear, Christensen’s setback comes at a bad time for the Panthers, as it is not known if Corbett will be ready to return from the reserve/PUP list when first eligible. This will also derail some momentum Christensen had established as a guard. The 2024 season will be a contract year for the former college All-American.

The Panthers remain without their starting right guard — Austin Corbett — due to the ACL tear he suffered in Week 18. Corbett began the season on the reserve/PUP list. He is ineligible to return until at least Week 5. Christensen, who lines up at left guard, is now out until at least Week 6.

Carolina re-signing center Bradley Bozeman revealed a plan for the team to return the same five O-linemen from 2022, doing so despite changing coaching staffs this offseason. But it will be a bit before that vision can be realized. Christensen joined Corbett in going down just before the close of last season. The former third-round pick suffered a broken ankle in the Panthers’ season finale, and while he returned ahead of Corbett, more time away will now be required.

Viewed as a tackle earlier in his career, Christensen moved to guard on a full-time basis during the 2022 offseason and started 17 games. Chandler Zavala, a rookie fourth-round pick, started opposite Christensen against the Falcons. Chosen due partially to the injury trouble the team was experiencing at guard, Zavala will be a Panthers starter for the foreseeable future.

Cade Mays, Calvin Throckmorton and rookie UDFA Nash Jensen reside as options to replace Christensen. The Panthers added Throckmorton off waivers from the Saints in August. Mays started two games last season, and while he made offseason strides, Zavala beat him out for the starting job. Jensen did not see any game action in Week 1. Throckmorton made 20 starts from 2021-22 with New Orleans; he represents an interesting option as the Panthers prepare to face the Saints in Week 2.

Panthers’ Austin Corbett To Miss Regular-Season Time; Brady Christensen On Track For Week 1

May 8th, 2023 at 8:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Big-picture changes have taken place in Carolina this offseason, but the team is planning to place Bryce Young behind the same offensive line that protected Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold in 2022. But that configuration will not be in place to start the year.

Austin Corbett suffered an ACL tear during the Panthers’ Week 18 game in New Orleans, and Frank Reich said the expectation is the 2022 free agency pickup will not be ready in time for the season opener. In better news for the Panthers, David Newton of ESPN.com notes Brady Christensen — the other guard who suffered a major injury (a broken ankle) in Week 18 — is on track to be ready for the 2023 opener.

The Panthers gave Corbett a three-year, $26.25MM deal last year; after making every start for the Rams from 2020-21, Corbett did the same for the Panthers last season. His inability to make it through Week 18 unscathed could lead to a stay on the reserve/PUP list come August. Such a placement would shelve Corbett for at least four games next season, though the team could also keep the former second-rounder on its active roster and go week-to-week regarding a return window.

The Panthers factored the likely Corbett early-season absence into their draft, with Newton adding fourth-rounder Chandler Zavala is the most likely first-string fill-in opposite Christensen. After four years at Division II Fairmont State, Zavala transferred to NC State in 2021. He earned first-team All-ACC acclaim at guard as a sixth-year senior.

Carolina’s Ikem Ekwonu first-round pick last year led to Christensen sliding to guard on a full-time basis, and he started all 17 games. The BYU product went down six plays into the Saints rematch, but his injury ended up being slightly less severe than Corbett’s. Pro Football Focus rated Corbett as a top-20 guard last season but slotted Christensen 55th at the position. He and Corbett are signed through 2024.

Just as the Panthers dropped Pat Elflein, they re-signed center Bradley Bozeman to round out their O-line quintet. Carolina may also be eyeing more continuity up front, per Newton, who notes Cameron Erving may well remain on the radar as a swing option behind Ekwonu and longtime right tackle Taylor Moton. Erving signed a two-year, $10MM deal in 2021 and started all nine games he played for the Panthers that year. Despite Erving not being the one to stop the Panthers’ longtime left tackle merry-go-round, he appears to be under consideration for a second Carolina contract.

Panthers Guards Brady Christensen, Austin Corbett Facing Injuries In Offseason

January 9th, 2023 at 7:49pm CST by Ely Allen

Carolina was hoping to still be playing football at this point in the season. However, after injuries to starting guards Brady Christensen and Austin Corbett that would have held them out of the playoffs, the Panthers will not be faced with the prospect of replacing 40-percent of their offensive line in only a week. Both linemen played every snap of the season for Carolina until lower body injuries took each of them out in the team’s win over New Orleans yesterday.

After a rookie season that saw the former third-round pick spot-start as a backup, Christensen took his opportunity to become a full-time starter this season and ran with it. While Christensen’s below-average run blocking kept him from grading out as a top guard in the league, his pass blocking ability graded out in the top half of NFL starting guards, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

The big-bodied guard broke his left ankle only six snaps into the team’s season finale, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. Person reported that “an MRI exam would determine whether (Christensen) would need surgery,” but there’s confidence that he will be ready to go in time for training camp.

The veteran, Corbett, was a newcomer on Carolina’s offensive line this year after signing as a free agent in March but immediately became a strength alongside right tackle Taylor Moton. Corbett graded out as the league’s 19th-best offensive guard, thanks to an impressive pass blocking grade.

Corbett’s injury was a bit more severe than his teammate’s. In an attempt to tackle Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu during an interception return, Corbett’s foot got caught in the artificial turf leading to a torn ACL, according to ESPN’s David Newton. Corbett’s recovery will likewise take a bit more time than Christensen’s. After undergoing surgery to repair the torn ligament, Corbett will strive to make it back to the field in time for the 2023 season.

The two are likely expected to resume their starting jobs once healthy, as both are under contract through the 2024 season, but the injuries could cause Carolina to seek some depth this offseason for the interior line. After a remarkably healthy season for their offensive line, the offseason poses the challenge of health for the Panthers’ big men.

Matt Rhule Names Ikem Ekwonu Panthers’ Starting LT

August 16th, 2022 at 12:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Panthers had been in the midst of a competition for the left tackle spot this offseason, but the winner of that battle has been named. Head coach Matt Rhule announced on Tuesday that Ikem Ekwonu will be the team’s starter at the blindside moving forward (Twitter link via Joe Person of The Athletic).

The news doesn’t come as much of a surprise, considering the draft capital Carolina invested in Ekwonu. The No. 6 overall pick in April’s draft, the NC State alum was the first offensive player to hear his name called. Part of a trio of o-linemen in contention to be the first selected at their position (alongside Evan Neal and Charles Cross), Ekwonu received plenty of interest in the build-up to the draft, including from the Panthers.

Carolina has been in need of a long-term left tackle since Jordan Gross retired in 2014, so it came as little surprise when they added the six-foot-four, 320-pounder. Whether he would start at tackle or guard became an important question after his selection, however. Ekwonu played at both spots during his time with the Wolfpack, leading some to believe he would begin his career on the interior. The chances of that seemed to grow when 2021 third-rounder Brady Christensen took a significant number of starter’s reps at LT during minicamp.

That was still the case in practice as recently as last week. Overall, though, signs have pointed to Ekwonu ultimately winning out for the first-team spot. With the latter’s position confirmed, Person tweets that Christensen will now compete with 2019 fourth-rounder Michael Jordan for the starting left guard spot. Especially in the long-term, a left side of Ekwonu and Christensen should give Carolina some much-needed improvement up front.

It remains to be seen (at least officially) who will be the Panthers’ starting quarterback in Week 1. Whether Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold begins the season at the top of the depth chart, they will now know who is charged with protecting their blindside.

NFC South Rumors: Darnold, Christensen, Bucs, Murphy-Bunting, Werner

August 13th, 2022 at 2:20pm CST by Ely Allen

As Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield starts to run away with the starting job, questions have been raised about the future of incumbent starter Sam Darnold. When a rumor surfaced that Carolina may be shopping the fifth-year passer, general manager Scott Fitterer pulled Darnold aside to set him at ease, according to Joseph Person of The Athletic.

“I talked to Scott,” Darnold explained. “He said not to worry about it. To be honest, before he talked to me, I didn’t even see it. So I’m just gonna continue to do me and do what I can to put myself in a good position and put this team in a good position.”

Aiding Fitterer in convincing Darnold that he’s not likely to be dealt is Darnold’s $18.86MM salary. There could certainly be a team willing to make a call about Darnold if an injury occurs to their starter, but if the Panthers wanted to offload him, they’d likely have to eat some of his contract, as well.

There’s a good chance, though, that Darnold stays put. As Person explained, “in a league that saw only 12 teams make it through the 17-game regular season in 2021 with one quarterback,” the backup quarterback is still a crucially important position. And, while Darnold may not rank highly among the starters in today’s game, he certainly ranks as one of the better backup quarterbacks in the league. The backup job appears to be his, too, as long as the Panthers continue to slow play the development of rookie third-round pick Matt Corral.

Here are a few other rumors from around the NFC South, starting with another note out of the Tar Heel state:

As certain as it seems that rookie first-round pick Ikem Ekwonu will start the 2022 season as the Panthers’ starting left tackle, Carolina is still giving last year’s third-round pick, Brady Christensen, plenty of snaps at the position. According to Person, Christensen took the majority of the first-team reps this past Thursday at the position. Christensen has a highly sought after versatility that gives the Panthers the option of playing him as a guard or a tackle. With Ekwonu still expected to win the starting job, perhaps offensive line coach James Campen just wants to ensure his best backup option has enough experience at one of the offensive line’s most important positions.
The Buccaneers‘ interior offensive line will look completely different in 2022 after the departures of Alex Cappa and Ali Marpet, as well as an injury that may cause center Ryan Jensen to miss a significant amount of time. Trade acquisition Shaq Mason will man the right guard position, while the left guard and center positions are still up in the air, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine. The center position is currently a battle between Robert Hainsey and Nick Leverett. Leverett is also competing for the left guard starting job with Aaron Stinnie and rookie second-round pick Luke Goedeke. A tweet from Bucs staff writer Scott Smith, though, may hint at one of the positions. Smith reports that assistant head coach & run game coordinator Harold Goodwin “hopes a decision (at left guard) will be made prior to the third preseason game” so that the new left guard can “build chemistry with Donovan Smith and (Hainsey).” Smith is projected to be the starting left tackle, so this comment from Goodwin may point to the fact that Hainsey has won the position battle at center.
We recently did a rundown of the Buccaneers’ cornerbacks room, but an update, provided by Matt Matera of the Pewter Report, may give us some new information. We claimed that Sean Murphy-Bunting was in a competition with Jamel Dean for the No. 2 cornerback spot opposite Carlton Davis, but that the loser of that battle would still likely get plenty of time as the top option at nickel. According to Matera, though, Murphy-Bunting is no longer working in the slot and is solely competing with Dean for the outside job. Matera adds that Dean seems to have the inside-track which will leave Murphy-Bunting coming off the bench.
It appears that Saints second-year linebacker Pete Werner has taken hold of the starting weak-side linebacker position next to Demario Davis, according to Jeff Duncan of nola.com. Duncan comments that the staff’s confidence in Werner is high enough that it assisted in their decision to allow former starter Kwon Alexander to walk in free agency.

Panthers Not Committing To Ikem Ekwonu As Week 1 Left Tackle

June 16th, 2022 at 2:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

When no tackles came off the board in the top five, the Panthers pounced on the opportunity to stop their revolving door at left tackle. The team has not had the same primary left tackle starter since Jordan Gross‘ 2014 retirement, and Ikem Ekwonu is positioned to be the long-term answer.

It is not certain that stretch will begin at this season’s outset. Matt Rhule said Ekwonu has a “long way to go” in his preparation to be an NFL left tackle, via Joe Person of The Athletic, who adds Brady Christensen took plenty of reps (nonpadded reps, but still) during the Panthers’ offseason program (subscription required).

Christensen’s three season-ending starts at left tackle appear to have impressed the Panthers’ staff, Person adds. The 2021 third-rounder has gained more momentum this offseason. Rhule said earlier this year he should have played the 2020 first-team All-American more last season, and offensive line coach James Campen said before the draft the BYU product would factor into the left tackle competition. Rhule said Thursday that Christensen is one of the best players on Carolina’s roster, via Person, who adds this should point to Christensen lining up as a first-stringer — at either left tackle or left guard — come Week 1 (Twitter link).

An offensive line featuring the team’s top left tackle prospect since Gross and the evidently improving Christensen alongside him at guard would make the most sense, from a need-filling standpoint. Ekwonu would not be out of place at guard, having played there in high school and at points during his stay at North Carolina State. If Rhule and Co. deem Ekwonu — a 2021 first-team All-American — not ready, a left side featuring Christensen at tackle and Michael Jordan at guard would seem to be the play. Carolina also has versatile veteran Cameron Erving (nine 2021 starts) entering his second season with the team.

It has been a while since a top-10 tackle draftee did not start in Week 1. Greg Robinson, the Rams’ No. 2 overall pick in 2014, is the most recent such investment to begin his rookie year on the bench. Training camp and the preseason will obviously be a much better gauge of Ekwonu’s readiness compared to various nonpadded workouts, and the No. 6 overall choice being a starter in Week 1 should still be considered more likely than not.

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