Contract details for the deal cornerback AJ Bouye signed last week with the Carolina Panthers have been released. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Panthers did not break the bank for the veteran who projects as the team’s starter across from Donte Jackson.
Per Rapoport, the two-year contract Bouye inked is worth $7 million:
When the #Panthers signed former Pro Bowl CB AJ Bouye, they gave him a 2-year deal worth $7M, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 12, 2021
Formerly an undrafted rookie signee of the Houston Texans in 2013, Bouye hit big with the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency in 2017. He signed a five-year deal worth $67.5M. Bouye went on to be traded to the Denver Broncos prior to 2020, but that $13.5M average annual salary is much higher than the low cost $3.5 average the Panthers gave him.
Previously a Pro Bowler in 2017, Carolina is rolling the dice that he can return to positive form. In seven games in Denver a year ago, he allowed two touchdowns, 273 yards and a 108.4 passer rating in coverage. However, as recent as 2019, Pro Football Focus labeled the 29-year-old as the NFL’s 15th best cornerback in coverage.
