The Carolina Panthers have an important offseason ahead of them this spring as they look to build on last year's surprise trip to the NFL playoffs. Although Carolina blew away expectations by winning the NFC South and giving the Los Angeles Rams all they could handle in the postseason, there are still numerous areas of improvement on the roster heading into free agency and the draft.
On Wednesday, the Panthers made a big decision to help solidify their wide receiver room heading into next season.
“Panthers placed exclusive rights free agent tenders on wide receivers Jalen Coker and Brycen Tremayne,” reported ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter on X, formerly Twitter.
Essentially, exclusive rights free agent tenders lock in the player for the upcoming season.
Coker had some moments for the Panthers this year, including scoring a touchdown in the team's playoff game against the Rams.
Meanwhile, Tremayne focused primarily on special teams during his first season in Carolina this past year.
Overall, the Panthers are in a bit of an awkward spot as the 2026 offseason continues. On one hand, the Panthers blew away expectations by winning the division and putting up a good fight in the playoffs this year. On the other hand, there are still several gaping holes on the roster, including on both lines of scrimmage, and the team also has to consider whether or not they truly believe Bryce Young can be their franchise player moving forward.
Young had some moments during the 2025 season, to be sure, but also had plenty of down games as well, conjuring up memories of his brutal first couple of seasons in the NFL after being drafted first overall out of Alabama.
In any case, the NFL free agency period is set to open up on March 11, while the draft will get underway in late April.
