Carolina Panthers free agency live tracker: Brian Burns, Frankie Luvu to depart team

The new league year doesn’t begin until Wednesday, but the Carolina Panthers and the rest of the NFL will look to get ahead of the open market on Monday at noon.

The NFL’s legal tampering period gives teams the opportunity to negotiate with impending free agents until 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Teams cannot finalized contracts until after that deadline.

With needs at wide receiver, center, guard, cornerback and edge rusher, the Panthers will be busy over the next week. They can hit the ground running by agreeing to deals ahead of time during the tampering period.

Below is our Monday live tracker which will update as news, rumors and moves come in throughout the day.

All Carolina Panthers trades, signings, free agency moves

Keep track of Tuesday’s roster movement in free agency here.

10:50 p.m.: Damien Lewis, a free agent offensive lineman who has started every game he’s played since being drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2020, also agreed to terms on a four-year contract with the Panthers, a league source confirmed to The Observer. NFL Network had the news first and reported that it is a four-year, $53 million deal with $26.2 million guaranteed. The move builds much-needed offensive line depth for Carolina. According to multiple league sources, veteran guard Austin Corbett is likely to be moved to center.

8:40 p.m.: Make that another pass rusher leaving the Panthers. Yetur Gross-Matos, a free agent defensive end who had a career year in 2023 that saw 4.5 sacks, is heading to the San Francisco 49ers on a two-year deal worth $18 million, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Now virtually all of Carolina’s pass rush from 2024 is gone. The Panthers are now down to DJ Johnson, Amare Barno, Eku Leota and Luiji Vilain at edge rusher and Shaq Thompson, Claudin Cherelus and Chandler Wooten at inside linebacker.

6:30 p.m.: Brian Burns won’t be a Carolina Panther in 2024, according to NFL Network. The star pass rusher is being traded to the New York Giants on a five-year deal worth $150 million max with $87.5 million guaranteed. In return, the Panthers get two draft picks — a second-rounder (2024) and a fifth-rounder (2025) — from the Giants. The two teams will also swap fifth-round picks in the 2024 draft.

Now that Burns is gone, his $24 million from the franchise tag will come off the team’s books and free up some salary cap space. But losing Burns means losing a bunch of production — even in a relative down year he notched eight sacks in 2023 — and star power on a defense that parted ways with linebacker Frankie Luvu earlier Monday. There are now only two players from last season’s roster still on the team who notched multiple sacks in 2023: Yetur Gross-Matos (4.5 sacks, six TFL) and Derrick Brown (two sacks).

Burns told reporters at the end of the season that he wanted to stay in Carolina. His teammates appear to have desired the same thing. Once the news came through, veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson tweeted: “It’s a sad day.”

5:40 p.m.: The Panthers might have a trade partner for pass rusher Brian Burns after all.

The New York Giants have a emerged as a potential landing spot for Burns, according to SNY’s Connor Hughes. According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Panthers and Giants have been discussing the deal “for a while,” citing multiple sources.

Burns received the non-exclusive franchise tag from the Panthers last week. The tag comes with a one-year, $24 million guaranteed salary, which is currently on the Panthers’ books on the cusp of free agency.

The Giants own the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft, but also own the 39th and 47th overall picks in the second round of the draft. The completion of a trade between the Giants and Panthers would likely be made easier due to the relationship between the two teams’ GMs. Dan Morgan and Joe Schoen both worked under Buffalo GM Brandon Beane with the Bills for multiple years. Schoen was also part of the Panthers’ scouting department with the Panthers drafted Morgan.

If the Panthers were to trade Burns, the $24 million tag would immediately come off Carolina’s salary cap and free the team up to spend more in free agency. The return for Burns will be undoubtedly scrutinized and compared to the 2022 trade offering by the Los Angeles Rams, which was for two first-round picks and more. Former GM Scott Fitterer turned that deal down.

5:30 p.m.: The Panthers are apparently set to lose inside linebacker Frankie Luvu to the Washington Commanders.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Luvu plans to sign a three-year deal with the NFC East franchise. The contract agreement is for a max value of $36 million, per Schefter.

Luvu was one of the Panthers’ best players over the past two seasons. He flourished in defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s system as a versatile weapon. He will now take his talents to Landover, Md., where he will play in new head coach Dan Quinn’s defense.

3:28 p.m.: The Panthers have reeled in a big one.

The team plans to sign former Miami Dolphins guard Robert Hunt when the new league year begins, a league source confirmed to The Charlotte Observer. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler were first to report the agreement.

The ESPN insiders reported that the contract is set for five years and $100 million with $63 million in guaranteed money.

Hunt, who played his first four seasons in Miami, is likely to play one of the guard positions for the Panthers this season, protecting second-year quarterback Bryce Young. Hunt played right guard for the Dolphins last season, but he also has experience on the left side. Austin Corbett is currently penciled in as the team’s right guard, but he can also play center, where Bradley Bozeman is set to be released, according to league sources.

According to Pro Football Focus, Hunt — listed as 6-foot-6 and 335 pounds — allowed just five total pressures in 11 games last season. Hunt was sidelined with a hamstring injury during two separate parts of last season, as he missed six total games.

Hunt, 27, will be an anchor of the line for the foreseeable future. The Panthers tied with the Washington Commanders for the second-most sacks allowed last season with 65 QB takedowns.

2:27 p.m.: The NFC South has a new top quarterback in Kirk Cousins. The Atlanta Falcons and Cousins, the former Minnesota Vikings quarterback, have agreed to a four-year deal, according to Cousins’ agent Mike McCartney.

Cousins arrives in Atlanta as a four-time Pro Bowl selection. He has thrown for 39,471 passing yards and 270 passing touchdowns in his career.

2:11 p.m.: In a somewhat surprising decision, the Panthers are expected to move on from safety Vonn Bell this week.

According to a league source, Bell is expected to be traded or released ahead of his $3 million roster bonus deadline on Saturday. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero was first to report Bell’s expected exit.

Bell, 29, signed a three-year, $22.5 million deal with the Panthers last season. Regardless of his departure, the Panthers will owe Bell his entire $6 million salary in 2024.

Unless he is designated as a post-June 1 release, Bell’s exit will save the Panthers just $1.05 million in salary cap space. A straightforward release would leave $9.89 million in dead money penalties.

In his lone season with the franchise, Bell produced 69 tackles, two pass breakups and an interception in 13 starts.

Moving on from Bell creates an opening in the starting secondary. Luckily for the Panthers, the safety market is packed with proven talent, including Xavier McKinney and Justin Simmons.

1:18 p.m.: Two of the eight logical free-agent targets, whom The Charlotte Observer wrote about last week, are reportedly off the board.

According to CBS Sports insider Jonathan Jones, former Denver Broncos center Lloyd Cushenberry III has agreed to a deal with the Tennessee Titans. Former Buffalo Bills wideout Gabe Davis has agreed to a three-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

12:10 p.m.: The legal tampering period is officially underway. The Panthers are expected to address multiple positions on the open market.

Both the guard and center markets are jam-packed with options. The wide receiver market is headlined by Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Calvin Ridley. New York Jets pass rusher Bryce Huff is expected to be among the top options on the edge rusher market.

Playmaking wide receivers among eight logical free agency targets for Carolina Panthers

9:33 a.m.: The Panthers have agreed to terms on a 1-year deal with cornerback Troy Hill, a league source told The Charlotte Observer.

Hill, 32, was set to become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday.

Hill joined the Panthers last summer before the start of the season. The veteran cornerback had ties to defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and cornerbacks coach Jonathan Cooley, so he was able to get up to speed quickly on the defense.

Hill played well at the nickel cornerback spot for most of the season. He produced 48 tackles, six pass breakups, a forced fumble, an interception and a defensive touchdown in 2023.

Hill’s return is notable as CJ Henderson is set to become a free agent. According to ESPN, fellow cornerback Donte Jackson is expected to be released or traded this week.

In other in-house news, long snapper JJ Jansen’s agent, Paul Sheehy, publicly confirmed that the longtime specialist is returning to the team. The Charlotte Observer reported on Jansen’s return last week.

Return to this page for updates throughout the day.