{"id":211798,"date":"2025-01-21T16:00:12","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T21:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=211798"},"modified":"2025-01-21T11:11:50","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T16:11:50","slug":"panthers-miles-sanders-a-probable-cut-candidate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/01\/21\/panthers-miles-sanders-a-probable-cut-candidate\/","title":{"rendered":"Panthers $25 Million Weapon A Probable Cut Candidate – Chiefs, Chargers Top Suitors"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Miles Sanders signing has not worked out for the Carolina Panthers, and the team will likely cut the $25 million man at the start of the 2025 league year. A second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft<\/a>, the Penn State product originally signed with the Panthers following a dominant 1,200-yard Pro Bowl season in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, he couldn’t recapture his magic in Carolina, quickly losing the starting job to Chuba Hubbard in 2023 and never reclaiming the role.<\/p>\n

While he showed some life in 2024, he’s not good enough to justify his current salary. Even with second-round pick Jonathon Brooks battling another ACL injury<\/a>, Hubbard is more than capable of being an adequate starter. Carolina can save over $5.2 million by releasing him and use that money to address a defense with holes on every level. Even though he probably won’t stick around in Carolina, Sanders should earn a high-level backup job with a team like the Kansas City Chiefs or Los Angeles Chargers.<\/p>\n

Chiefs, Chargers Could Sign Miles Sanders After Panthers Release<\/h2>\n

The Kansas City Chiefs found great value in former seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco<\/a>. Acquired for next to nothing, the ferocious, downhill runner has provided starting-caliber play for bargain prices. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, he will be a free agent at the end of the season and may have played his way out of Kansas City’s price range. The team only has $11.5 million in projected cap space and must use most of that to retain key free agents<\/a> like Trey Smith, Nick Bolton, and DeAndre Hopkins.<\/p>\n

Miles Sanders should not be Plan A for the Chiefs, but the longtime Panthers running back could be an ideal backup and short-term starter if Pacheco leaves. The 2025 NFL Draft is loaded with talent at the running back position, and nobody should be surprised to see the Chiefs invest in a third- or fourth-round running back. While that player may be the future of the Chiefs backfield, Miles Sanders could be an ideal short-term starter or high-end backup if Kareem Hunt calls it a career in the offseason.<\/p>\n