The Carolina Panthers entered the chaotic 2025 NFL offseason by recently locking up one of their best players. Cornerback Jaycee Horn has reportedly signed a massive contract that will keep him in Carolina for the foreseeable future.
Panthers Sign Horn to Massive $100 Million Extension
Carolina selected Horn with the eighth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He was the first cornerback taken that year and was named a starter before the team’s season opener. Horn’s rookie year lasted only three games as he fractured his foot in Week 3 and was placed on injured reserve.
In 2022, Horn was the team’s No. 1 cornerback and played in 13 games, totaling 53 tackles, three interceptions, and seven pass breakups. He suffered a broken wrist in Week 16, which required surgery, and missed the final two games.
2023 was also an injury-shortened season for Horn, who missed 10 games after injuring his hamstring in Week 1. He played in six games that season, collecting 27 tackles and five pass breakups.
Last season was Horn’s best in the NFL, as he played in 15 games and made the Pro Bowl. He had 68 tackles, 13 pass breakups, and one interception and was a bright spot in Carolina’s 32nd-ranked defense in PFSN’s Defense+ metric. Horn will make $12.37 million in 2025 after the Panthers picked up his fifth-year option heading into 2024, and the team rewarded its best defender with a massive extension.
Sources: Jaycee Horn has agreed to a 4-year, $100M extension — ($108M max) — including $70M guaranteed with the Carolina Panthers. At $25M per year, Jaycee is now the highest-paid DB in NFL history. Deal negotiated by Trevon Smith and David Mulugheta.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 10, 2025
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted, “Sources: Jaycee Horn has agreed to a four-year, $100M extension — ($108M max) — including $70M guaranteed with the Carolina Panthers. At $25M per year, Jaycee is now the highest-paid DB in NFL history. Deal negotiated by Trevon Smith and David Mulugheta.”
This is a huge contract for a player who has played in 37 games over four seasons, but Carolina is confident in its cornerback. Horn’s new deal puts him ahead of fellow 2021 draft pick Patrick Surtain, who already signed a four-year extension with the Denver Broncos. Schefter also tweeted the list of highest-paid cornerbacks, which Horn now tops.
Updated: The highest-paid CBs in the NFL on a per-year basis are now:
🏈Jaycee Horn: $25M
🏈Jalen Ramsey: $24.1M
🏈Patrick Surtain: $24M⁰🏈Jaire Alexander: $21M⁰🏈AJ Terrell: $20.25M⁰🏈Denzel Ward: $20.1M https://t.co/3R3fz9cFfl— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 10, 2025
He tweeted, “Updated: The highest-paid CBs in the NFL on a per-year basis are now:”
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- Jaycee Horn: $25M
- Jalen Ramsey: $24.1M
- Patrick Surtain: $24M
- Jaire Alexander: $21M
- AJ Terrell: $20.25M
- Denzel Ward: $20.1M
Surtain was selected one pick behind Horn in the 2021 Draft and was named 2024 Defensive Player of the Year. Carolina wisely got ahead of any new cornerback deals before the start of the new league year and reset the market just $1 million higher than Surtain’s contract. Horn will have to prove he can stay healthy and that he’s worth the money of the deal that will keep him in Carolina through 2029.