Icky Contract Extension

[PantherChris]

1 minute ago, PNW_PantherMan said:

Is there any real statistical evidence of this beyond anecdotal things like washed vets signing with the Chiefs or Pats every once in a while?  it doesn't really hold up.  Everyone gets paid in FA.  Everyone gets paid on 2nd contracts.  Its just how it is.  Do you think Icky would make less in FA than he would with a Panther extension?  Is that what's being implied?

Go look at contract structure and come back to me, total dollars is irrelevant bad teams pay more up front and in guaranteed $$$ as well as having to hand out longer contracts.

I'd say if you look at total $$ potential you are correct but if you look at the breakdowns there is definitely a small tax, add into this that bad teams tend to have the most cap space.

[PantherChris]

2 minutes ago, SCO96 said:

 

If we somehow won our division and made the playoffs in 2025, I could understand the reasoning behind picking up the 5th year option on Young. However, I would let him know not to expect any renegotiations until the deal expires (end of 2027).

If Bryce became crazy productive in year 4 and Carolina returned to the playoffs in 2026, I could understand the reasoning behind giving him a new deal prior to 2027. Under no circumstances would I make him the highest paid QB in the NFL. There is no way I'm letting BY get a deal that is going or "reset the market"...unless we win the SUPER BOWL.

If he wants  to "reset the market" you let him play out his final year and acquire or draft a QB prior to the 2027 season with the intent to start that person in 2028. 

 

Honestly at this point he would be looking at back up $ in my book

[SCO96]

4 minutes ago, SmokinwithWilly said:

Icky should get paid. Where it will get interesting is when/if Bryce demands an extension after this year. If he follows the trend of 1st round QBs drafted and immediately starting for their team, and still with them, end of 3rd year is extension time. If Bryce demands his 45-50m per season and Morgan/Tepper pays it, I see Icky starting for someone else and us looking to the draft or FA market for a new LT. 

The above scenario would be a nightmare for Carolina. It's tough having to make decisions on who to keep and who to let go. You have to look at which position can I spend less on and still get similar production. In our case I think it would be the quarterback position.

For most teams with a legitimate franchise QB, that decision would/should be easy. It's hard to replace a guy like Mahomes, Allen, or Stafford in terms of production. Those guys can make any throw and can carry a team on their backs to compensate for the weaker areas of the roster.

However, a starting QB who does not produce at an ELITE level  and needs the team to carry them is easier to replace than solid LT. I'm not giving Young a 45+ million deal prior to his 4th year at the expense of a solid left tackle when the said QB isn't even a top 10 QB in his own CONFERENCE.

[SmokinwithWilly]

16 minutes ago, SCO96 said:

 

If we somehow won our division and made the playoffs in 2025, I could understand the reasoning behind picking up the 5th year option on Young. However, I would let him know not to expect any renegotiations until the deal expires (end of 2027).

If Bryce became crazy productive in year 4 and Carolina returned to the playoffs in 2026, I could understand the reasoning behind giving him a new deal prior to 2027. Under no circumstances would I make him the highest paid QB in the NFL. There is no way I'm letting BY get a deal that is going or "reset the market"...unless we win the SUPER BOWL.

If he wants  to "reset the market" you let him play out his final year and acquire or draft a QB prior to the 2027 season with the intent to start that person in 2028. 

 

Im not disagreeing with your logic and it would be mine as well. We've just seen a lot of stupid things play out when it comes to Bryce and the way he's been handled. I have no idea what big daddy Dave will mandate though. He's not exactly been the best at leaving football decisions to football people. 

[kungfoodude]

38 minutes ago, PNW_PantherMan said:

If by bad teams you mean 30-31 teams then alright.  Discounts are very rare and typically only in special cases.  The Panthers aren’t paying a special tax.  Every team faces similar roster construction challenges with rising contract values.

Ring chasing is a real thing, even in the NFL.

[kungfoodude]

37 minutes ago, PantherChris said:

I did say slightly....  and tbh if we can get anther 2 good throws from brycey in each Tampa game along with a healthy Mayes and Hunt... I could see us squeaking out a tampa sweep....  Hunt is one of maybe 3 linemen in the NFL who can block vita vea 1 on 1  our ground game will be very very hard to stop if hes healthy for the last 4 or possibly the playoffs....  (only think stopping it will be Young not being able to take advantage of 10 man boxes)

Hunt is fairly overrated by our fans. Damn good player but we will be fine with Corbett back at OG.

Better than losing Hunt for a large chunk of the offseason.

[Mr. Scot]

1 hour ago, TheBigKat said:

People forget the void we had after Jordan Gross…..

I don't

[TN05]

Wild how people excuse 3 years of bad to terrible play for Ickey and want a big extension but are mad at even the prospect of a fifth-year option for Bryce 

[bythenbrs]

6 minutes ago, TN05 said:

Wild how people excuse 3 years of bad to terrible play for Ickey and want a big extension but are mad at even the prospect of a fifth-year option for Bryce 

Bad to terrible?  Really?

[Udogg]

6 hours ago, kungfoodude said:

If you look at Brown and Horn's contracts, expect to pay above what he is likely actually worth. This is the Panthers suckage tax.

Ultimately, much like Derrick Brown, he has steadily improved over time and that's what you want out of your young first round draft picks.

He was one of the biggest and most important question marks coming into the season and he has answered it conclusively. He is "the guy" at LT.

Great news, one less position of extreme importance to have to attempt to remedy.

 

imagine if after this year... Brown and Horn's contract were up?  

With the year both are having... we definitely couldn't afford both. 

[kungfoodude]

32 minutes ago, Udogg said:

imagine if after this year... Brown and Horn's contract were up?  

With the year both are having... we definitely couldn't afford both. 

That market has plateaued because most of the top young players at those positions have recent deals.

I wouldn't expect another big spike for another couple of offseasons.

[TN05]

39 minutes ago, bythenbrs said:

Bad to terrible?  Really?

He was horrific in pass blocking his first few years and only improved recently.

[Butterflyj30]

We have to keep Icky he is doing great and he loves this team!!

[SmokinwithWilly]

57 minutes ago, TN05 said:

Wild how people excuse 3 years of bad to terrible play for Ickey and want a big extension but are mad at even the prospect of a fifth-year option for Bryce 

Icky is exactly who he was coming out of college. Run mauling tackle but below average pass pro at the NFL level. Charles Cross was the pass pro ready tackle. It was always going to take a couple of years to get him up to the NFL level for pass blocking. Icky has earned his extension because he's right on pace with where he should be given where he started. 

The difference between Bryce and Icky is most drafted QBs still with their team don't play on their 5th year option. They get an extension after year 3. The exceptions to this are rare. That's not saying that Bryce wouldn't play on the remainder of his rookie deal, or the 5th year, if that's all we offered. I'm just pointing out that that hasn't been the trend, and it's something I'm sure his agent is well aware of when it comes to negotiation time. 

• Trevor Lawrence: Jacksonville Jaguars, 5 years, $275 million
• Joe Burrow: Cincinnati Bengals, 5 years, $275 million
• Justin Herbert: Los Angeles Chargers, 5 years, $262.5 million
• Brock Purdy: San Francisco 49ers, 5 years, $265 million
• Jalen Hurts: Philadelphia Eagles, 5 years, $255 million
• Kyler Murray: Arizona Cardinals, 5 years, $230.5 million 

These are some of the recent extensions. Icky's contract would be around half of this. 

The question becomes then, if we plugged in an average QB behind a line of Icky, Lewis, Mayes, Hunt and Moton, would the results be similar, better or worse to Bryce with an extension behind ?, ? Mayes, Hunt and Moton? Icky, Corbett and Lewis would likely be cap casualties. 

That's why I question the Bryce option. It's whether or not we're stupid enough to pay an extension if it comes to that, because I definitely don't think it's warranted baring a SB appearance that Bryce drags the entire team with him based on his 3 years of Jekyll/Hyde performance and his still less than desirable mechanics, footwork, and other issues. 

Edited December 2, 2025 by SmokinwithWilly