The Carolina Panthers could strike a $40 million deal with this formerly unwanted player during the NFL offseason.
The Carolina Panthers certainly put together a surprising season in 2025, winning the NFC South and challenging the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
Whether or not the Panthers can actually replicate their success next season remains to be seen, but with the right moves this offseason, there is every reason to believe that they could be a playoff team again next year.
While Carolina definitely needs to make some additions, it also must tend to the players it already has on its roster, which means some extensions could be coming.
Joe Person of The Athletic has cited cornerback Mike Jackson as an extension candidate in particular.
"He had a rough game against the Dallas Cowboys’ George Pickens in October, but rebounded to finish as PFF’s third-ranked corner for the season," Person wrote. "In the wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Jackson picked off Matthew Stafford once and allowed a 0.0 passer rating as the nearest defender, becoming just the third player to do so in a playoff game since 2016 when being targeted at least seven times."
Jackson tallied an 80.9 coverage grade at Pro Football Focus, which, as Person noted, ranked third among 114 qualifying cornerbacks. He also posted a 79.1 overall grade, which placed him fourth.
Person does, however, worry about Jackson's age (he's 29) and how much money it would take to extend him.
Spotrac has tabbed his market value at three years, $40.2 million, which comes out to roughly $13.4 million per year. If he maintains his current level of production, that's actually a bargain for Jackson.
But we also must remember that it was just two years ago that the Seattle Seahawks dumped Jackson in exchange for Panthers seventh-round linebacker Michael Barrett, who has never even played in an NFL game.
Jackson racked up 68 tackles, four interceptions and a league-leading 19 passed defended this past season and also played pretty well in 2024. However, he played for three different teams before finally arriving in Carolina.
Perhaps the University of Miami product was just a late bloomer, but the Panthers do need to be cautious when it comes to handing him such a lucrative contract.
Jackson has one year left on his contract before hitting free agency.
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