Panthers General Manager Dan Morgan has decisions to make about what players to add in next week’s draft and he also has to make a call about one of the team’s past first-round selections.
Morgan and the Panthers have until May 1 to decide about exercising their option on left tackle Ickey Ekwonu’s contract for a fifth season. Ekwonu was the sixth overall pick of the 2022 draft.
Ekwonu’s option would carry a fully guaranteed salary of $17.56 million and Morgan said at a press conference on Tuesday that the team is taking its time before deciding whether to pick it up.
Ekwonu has started 49 games since entering the NFL and he turned in his strongest season in 2024, so the Panthers will either bet on his continuing improvement or they’ll set him up for a prove it year in 2025.
