The Carolina Panthers woke up this morning $14.47 million under the salary cap, according to the NFLPA’s latest public report.The Panthers added $4 million worth of space last week when they gave LB Thomas Davis a two-year contract extension. The current figure also includes $4.94 million carried over from 2014, plus Carolina’s signed draft picks, undrafted rookies and free agents.Here’s a look at the top 25 salary-cap commitments, including dead money* taken up by a trio of players no longer on the roster.
| 1. | DE Charles Johnson | $20.0 million |
|---|---|---|
| 2. | QB Cam Newton | $13.0 million |
| 3. | C Ryan Kalil | $11.8 million |
| 4. | RB Jonathan Stewart | $8.3 million |
| 5. | TE Greg Olsen | $6.3 million |
| 6. | LB Thomas Davis | $5.9 million |
| 7. | RB DeAngelo Williams* | $4.33 million |
| 8. | LB Luke Kuechly | $4.0 million |
| 9. | WR Steve Smith* | $4.0 million |
| 10. | FB Mike Tolbert | $3.43 million |
| 11. | K Graham Gano | $3.1 million |
| 12. | S Charles Godfrey* | $3.0 million |
| 13. | DT Star Lotulelei | $2.62 million |
| 14. | LT Michael Oher | $2.42 million |
| 15. | WR Jerricho Cotchery | $1.95 million |
| 16. | WR Ted Ginn | $1.85 million |
| 17. | S Roman Harper | $1.8 million |
| 18. | DT Dwan Edwards | $1.75 million |
| 19. | WR Kelvin Benjamin | $1.74 million |
| 20. | LB Shaq Thompson | $1.6 million |
| 21. | CB Josh Norman | $1.59 million |
| 22. | G Amini Silatolu | $1.57 million |
| 23. | CB Charles Tillman | $1.53 million |
| 24. | TE Ed Dickson | $1.52 million |
| 25. | QB Derek Anderson | $1.46 million |