Unloading a burdensome contract in the NFL is easier said than done. Just ask the Panthers, who signed Matt Kalil to a five-year, $55.5 million deal and have predictably been regretting it ever since. When he’s been on the field, Kalil’s play has been inconsistent at best, par for the course in his pro career. Kalil is also still missing too many games due to injury – he sat out the entire 2018 campaign.
As much as Carolina fans would like to see him gone, coach Ron Rivera told reporters at the scouting combine today that right now he expects Kalil to be on the team.
Cutting Kalil before June 1 would save the team some $2.55 million, however they would also take a massive dead money hit at $14.7 million. After June 1 the numbers get a whole lot better, but they’d still be on the hook for $4.9 million in dead money for 2019 alone.
Realistically, nobody is going to trade for Kalil given his contract and general history.
The Panthers also still need depth at offensive tackle with Daryl Williams’ status up in the air as a pending free agent. The team might as well keep Kalil around at least until June and then re-evaluate the situation.
