Taylor Moton has restructured his contract with the Carolina Panthers in each of the past three offseasons. However, the Panthers are now letting Moton play out the final year of his contract for the 2025 NFL season.
Joseph Person of The Athletic released an interview with Moton on July 1, addressing the rumors surrounding him about leaving the Panthers after this season. “Looking forward, I do believe I have another contract in me,” Moton clarified. “But right now my focus is on the 2025 season.”
Moton will receive $31.3 million from the Panthers this season, which accounts for 11.2 percent of the team’s total cap. As injuries have piled up on the 31-year-old right tackle, many are worried about Moton’s future with the Panthers as retirement rumors continue to grow louder.
GettyTaylor Moton played 100 percent of the offensive snaps from 2018-2022 for the Panthers
Will Injuries Force Him to Retire?
Taylor Moton started 104 consecutive games before the 2024 season snapped his streak. Moton missed two games due to an elbow and triceps injury, but still played 14 games last season. He also sat out Week 17 with a knee injury, which has many asking if his time with the NFL is ending.
“It’s chronic stuff. Most linemen deal with it,” Moton explained during the Athletic interview. “My body’s been feeling good. No triceps problems right now, no knee problems. The knees have been feeling good, and excited about doing whatever I can (to play) 17 games plus playoffs,” he said.
Before the 2025 NFL Draft, Walker Clement of SB Nation’s Cat Scratch Reader questioned if retirement was on the horizon for Taylor Moton. There was some speculation about the Panthers drafting a younger tackle as an immediate replacement for an injured Moton. However, Panthers management did not draft a replacement…yet. For at least one more season, the Panthers are putting the protection of Bryce Young in the hands of Moton and their offensive line.
It’s worth noting that Ikem Ekwonu is also under contract with the Panthers for another two years. How the Panthers handle Moton’s contract situation will set the tone for Ekwonu as well. That is one of the many reasons why Zach Roberts of the Carolina Panthers on Sports Illustrated wrote that Taylor Moton is the team’s most important contract decision moving forward.
GettyTaylor Moton expressed his desire to finish his career with the Carolina Panthers
Panthers Ownership Addresses Taylor Moton’s Future
Despite the rumors surrounding the Panthers’ offensive line, team ownership remains bullish on Moton’s future. The Athletic interview also highlighted Taylor Moton’s current relationship with Panthers ownership. During the NFL combine, Panthers GM Dan Morgan gave Moton his full support heading into this season:
“I think we’re fine either way. We can leave the contract how it is, and we’re fine from a cap perspective,” Morgan said. “Obviously, we love Taylor. We love everything about him. But right now we’re just going to stay put…We’ll get together at the right time and talk about his future in terms of the long term.”
Moton praised the direction that Panthers ownership and Morgan, whom he called a “tremendous GM,” are heading. He was clear about his intent to stay and finish his career with the Panthers. “I have a lot of family here. I love the city. I love it here, and it’s been home for quite a while,” he told The Athletic.
“I fall back to control what I can control. And that’s just having the best year I possibly can for the guys, for the organization, for the city,” Taylor Moton said passionately.
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