It’s been an active last few days for the Panthers! They traded for the Bears’ #1 Pick on Friday, and today they added a weapon for whichever quarterback they likely take at #1. Former Bengals tight end Hayden Hurst is headed to Carolina on a 3-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
The money on Hurst’s deal isn’t out yet, but we’ll update this post once it’s released.
Hurst will be entering his 6th NFL season after spending his first five years with the Ravens, Falcons, and Bengals. The 2022 season was a productive one for the 29-year-old tight end. He finished just shy of career highs in receptions (52) and receiving yards (414) and caught two touchdown passes in the regular season.
Hurst is just the latest player to depart the Bengals despite Cincinnati having a lot of cap space. Earlier this week, Cincinnati saw both their starting safeties – Jesse Bates & Vonn Bell – leave in free agency. Bell will also be headed to the Panthers.
The Panthers still have some cap space to work with. Before the Hurst deal, the Panthers had just under $20 million to work with under the cap. After including D.J. Moore in the trade to the Bears, they’ll most certainly want to add another option or two offensively.
New head coach Frank Reich will want to help their potential new quarterback if that’s the direction they go with the first overall pick, which all signs say they will.