The Carolina Panthers bolstered their defensive line significantly after persuading veteran defensive tackle Gerald McCoy to join them. Nine years after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made McCoy the third overall pick of the draft, the team elected to part ways with his services due to their current salary cap situation.
McCoy was then courted by a number of NFL teams, including the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Carolina. Ultimately, he decided upon the latter for significantly less guaranteed money than in other places.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, McCoy agreed on $8 million guaranteed for one season of a deal that could ultimately be worth $10.