The Carolina Panthers and offensive tackle Taylor Moton agreed to a mammoth four-year, $72 million extension that includes $43 million guaranteed at signing, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday.
The blockbuster deal, announced by the team only as a multiyear extension, beats Thursday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline for franchise players to sign extensions.
Moton, 26, became the starting right tackle in 2018 and has started every game for Carolina over the past three seasons.
His new deal — at an average of $18 million per season — ties him with Philadelphia’s Lane Johnson for second among NFL right tackles and sixth overall among all offensive tackles.
“He’s an excellent player,” coach Matt Rhule said late last season. “He’s an excellent professional. He’s an even better person. When we talk about the brand, he’s all of that.”
Moton took some snaps at left tackle during offseason workouts, mostly due to injuries that limited Cameron Erving and Trent Scott. Erving, signed to a two-year, $10 million deal in free agency, is the front-runner for the left tackle job.
The Panthers selected the 6-foot-5, 325-pound Moton in the second round of the 2017 draft out of Western Michigan.
ESPN’s David Newton contributed to this report.