Even with their newfound success, the Carolina Panthers plan to stay the course.
President of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan held his end-of-season press conference on Tuesday morning. He was asked, following the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2017 and their first NFC South title since 2015, if he plans to take a more aggressive approach in free agency this spring.
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“We’re always gonna have the win-now mentality,” Morgan stated. “Even last year, we had the win-now mentality. We’re gonna do what’s best, just for the organization. And we’re gonna trust our plan, trust our processes. We’re not gonna be reckless.
“But at the same time, we’re gonna bring talent in here, we’re gonna make moves that we feel like will help us out in the future. And who that is, whether it’s a free agent or draft, we’re gonna attack it and we’re gonna make the right moves.”
Carolina came out hot at the start of last year’s free-agency period. The team signed four players on the opening day, including safety Tre’von Moehrig and defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton.
Morgan was then asked about the outlook of the 2026 NFL Draft, where the Panthers are currently slated to pick from the 19th overall slot.
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“We’ve done a lot of work already on the draft. I think we already have like 600 and some guys on the board,” he replied. “It’s early. Picking at 19, there’s gonna be a good player there. So we’re gonna have optionality on what we’re gonna do. I think everything’s on the table.”
The Panthers held the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, where they selected University of Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. McMillan, perhaps the frontrunner for this season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, amassed 70 receptions for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers GM Dan Morgan is asked about his plans for free agency, draft
