Dan Morgan just sent the clearest message yet to Panthers' $12.5M letdown

Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan | David Jensen/GettyImagesDan Morgan quickly turned the page to the 2025 season. The Carolina Panthers exceeded expectations, but this is all about what comes next for the general manager. And he made no secret of the team's primary objective when his third recruitment period commenced.

And that could be bad news for one veteran looking for a new deal to stick around this spring.

There were more positives than negatives for the Panthers this season. It wasn't perfect by any stretch, but making the playoffs as NFC South champions, winning eight games, and earning widespread plaudits for their efforts despite a narrow wild-card-round loss to the Los…