Carolina has signed 15 players to futures contracts, and four of them are players to watch.
While many Carolina Panthers players who were on the active roster last season are already under contract for 2025, there’s a host of mostly fringe players who don’t have deals in place for the upcoming season. Players who weren’t on the active roster at the end of the season – mostly practice squad players and undrafted free agents – are eligible to sign something called a “futures contract” with the team.
Futures contracts are mutually beneficial to the team and to the players who choose to sign them.
From a team perspective, futures contracts allow front offices to lock up generally younger players who could show improvement over the offseason and benefit the team in the future. After signing a futures contract the player cannot negotiate, sign with, or be poached by another team. The players count against the team’s 90-man camp limit, but not the 53-man roster.
From a player compensation standpoint, they are usually paid the league minimum given their years of experience and these deals rarely include signing bonuses. But the money is often secondary for these players who are operating on the periphery of the NFL universe. What they’re really getting is a measure of security by being able to work out with the team during the offseason, strengthen relationships with teammates and coaches, and hopefully prepare themselves to make the 53-man roster the following season.
Futures contracts are usually a win-win.
Here’s the list of the players the Panthers have currently signed to futures contracts with an eye toward 2025. Asterisks denote players who played snaps for Carolina in 2024.
Offense
RB – Emani Bailey
WR – Dax Milne, T.J. Luther, Brycen Tremayne
TE – Jordan Matthews*, Dominique Dafney, James Mitchell
OL – Brandon Walton* (T), Ja’Tyre Carter (G), Andrew Raym* (C
Defense/Special Teams
DT – Jerrod Clark
LB – Thomas Incoom*, Kenny Dyson*, Carlos Basham
K – Matthew Wright
Players to watch
Thomas Incoom, Linebacker
After spending his 2023 rookie season with the Denver Broncos, Incoom joined the Panthers practice squad last year and eventually earned his way on the 53-man roster. He appeared in eight games for Carolina in 2024, playing 39 defensive snaps and 174 on special teams. He produced eight tackles and one tackle for loss in his limited action. The Panthers saw enough in the 26-year-old linebacker to bring him back in 2025 on a futures contract and let him compete for a more consistent spot on the defense.
Andrew Raym, Center
The former Oklahoma standout was signed by Carolina in 2024 as an undrafted rookie free agent. He somewhat surprisingly made the initial 53-man roster last year and played four special teams snaps in Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Raym was then released three days later and signed to the Panthers practice squad where he spent the remainder of the season. With both Austin Corbitt and Brady Christensen entering free agency, Carolina may need additional depth at center and Raym could be the guy.
Dax Milne, Wide Receiver
The Panthers are shockingly thin at wide receiver. Adam Thielen is an absolute stud but he’s also 34 and missed seven games last year. Xavier Legette had an up-and-down rookie season while UDFA Jalen Coker was a revelation. David Moore is now a free agent while Diontae Johnson and Jonathan Mingo got traded during the season last year. The only other wide receivers under contract in 2025 are 33-year-old converted tight end Jordan Matthews and fellow futures contracts T.J. Luther and Brycen Tremayne. Matthews hasn’t caught a pass since 2019 while Luther and Tremayne have never appeared in an NFL game.
Enter Dax Milne. The 25-year-old former BYU star was a 2021 seventh round pick by the Washington Commanders and in his first two seasons had 15 receptions for 120 yards and one touchdown. He also returned 40 punts and 15 kickoffs in his first two NFL campaigns. But he missed the entire 2023 season due to injury, got waived by Washington, and landed on the Panthers practice squad last year. Now fully healthy and with some time in the Panthers system, Milne could push to make the roster in 2025 to add depth at receiver and on special teams.
James Mitchell, Tight End
Mitchell was a 2022 fifth round pick by the Detroit Lions and saw action in each of his first three NFL seasons, but his impact tapered off each year. As a rookie he appeared in 14 games with 11 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown. In 2023 he played in 15 games, mostly on special teams, but still managed two receptions for 28 yards.
In 2024 Mitchell was waived by the Lions after appearing in one game and was subsequently signed to their practice squad. While he has spent his entire three-year NFL career with the Lions, after considering his options Mitchell chose to leave Detroit for Carolina this offseason on a futures contract, assuming his prospects are more promising in Charlotte.