CHARLOTTE, NC – The Carolina Panthers will use the franchise tag to take on Taylor Moton on the right, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The offensive tackle franchise number is expected to be between $ 13.5 million and $ 14 million by 2021, and by applying the tag, Carolina can continue to negotiate a long-term deal, which was a priority on the way to it. low season.
“He’s an excellent player,” said coach Matt Rhule at the end of last season. “He’s an excellent professional. He’s an even better person. When we talk about the brand, he is all.”
This is the eighth time the Panthers have used the franchise tag since the team began playing in 1995. They have had varying degrees of success.
Successes included the Jordan Gross tackle (2008), the defensive end Julius Peppers (2009), the center Ryan Kalil (2011) and the defensive tackle Kawann Short (2017).
The times when things didn’t go so well were with punter Todd Sauerbrun (2003), defensive end Greg Hardy (2014) and cornerback Josh Norman (2016).
Sauerbrun was named in a 2004 study of steroids and traded to Denver in 2005. Hardy only played one game after being tagged, which was on the commissioner’s exempt list while a domestic violence case was going on.
Then-general manager Dave Gettleman withdrew Norman’s tag after the 2015 Pro Bowl squad delayed its signing as leverage in discussions for a long-term deal.
The Panthers selected 6-foot-5,325-pound Moton in the second round of the 2017 West Michigan draft. He was ranked the fourth-best tackle in draft by then-NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock, who is currently the general manager of Las Vegas Raiders.
Moton, 26, became the Panthers’ starting tackle in 2018 and has started every game for the past three seasons while being Carolina’s most consistent offensive lineman. He hasn’t missed a game in his four NFL seasons.
His score of 81.2 at Pro Football Focus was ranked third in qualifying rights in 2020.