Panthers staring down a $3 million decision that shouldn’t be this easy

Carolina Panthers linebacker Christian Rozeboom | Al Pereira/GettyImagesThe Carolina Panthers are focused entirely on toppling the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their first division title since 2017. But for general manager Dan Morgan and executive vice president Brandt Tilis, they are finalizing their strategy for what promises to be another eventful offseason for the franchise.

Some challenging obstacles remain. The Panthers have made notable improvements this season, but they are still a long way from legitimately contending for a Super Bowl. This was always going to be a gradual path back to the NFL's top table, but Morgan would bring his team much closer to the top with greater success in…