Carolina Panthers' salary cap 2023: How much cap space does Carolina have?

The Carolina Panthers had yet another disappointing season, but it was still somewhat better than previous seasons. The club concluded with a 7-10 record, its best mark since 2018, and placed second in the NFC South, its highest finish since 2017.

Each team has received a record $224.8 million in space for the 2023 season. Clubs received $188.2 million in 2019, $208.2 million in 2022, $182.5 million in 2021 and $198.2 million in 2020.

The Panthers have about $12 million in cap space, which is the 14th-lowest in the league, according to Spotrac, which has taken into consideration the enormous rise. While their $10.7 million in unused 2022 cap space — the second-highest such mark — will help a little, it's still not a very attractive sum to plan on.

By restructuring punter Johnny Hekker's deal on Wednesday, the Panthers increased their salary cap flexibility and freed up money for the 2023 season.

Hekker penned a three-year deal in the offseason of the previous year and was among the league's best punters. He had 39 punts inside the 20-yard line last season, which was the most since he had 51 for the Los Angeles Rams in 2016. He recorded an average of 48.5 yards per punt.

Which positions will the Carolina Panthers have to strengthen ahead of the 2023 season?

After hiring coach Frank Reich, the Carolina Panthers have made a lot of good headlines this offseason. Yet, they need to identify a starter quarterback to significantly boost their resume.

They will soon have that mostly addressed because they traded for the top choice in the upcoming NFL draft.

The Carolina Panthers will likely pick Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud as their long-term QB. The Panthers will still need to make some difficult decisions, including maybe removing some seasoned players, no matter which route they decide to go in the draft.

The Carolina Panthers also have a huge void at wide receiver as a result of DJ Moore's departure, but the franchise still possesses a high second-round pick (No. 39 overall) and may attempt to fill that spot in the open market. The Panthers' top pass catcher still on the roster is Terrace Marshall. Last year, he made 28 catches for 490 yards and one score.