Mike Tolbert signs two-year extension with Carolina Panthers

All-Pro fullback Mike Tolbert has reportedly agreed to a two-year contract extension to stay with the Carolina Panthers, worth a maximum of $4 million.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Carolina Panthers have agreed to a two-year contract extension with two-time All-Pro fullback Mike Tolbert, worth at most $4 million.

Carolina wisely paid its star fullback to ensure that the dominating Panthers running game doesn’t lose a step for the next two years. The Panthers have a nimble quarterback in MVP Cam Newton, a dynamic blur (when healthy) in running back Jonathan Stewart, and one of the league’s most gifted and versatile fullbacks in Tolbert.

It’s a bit shocking that it only cost the Panthers $4 million to keep one of the game’s elite players at his position in town for the next two years. The fullback position is largely becoming obsolete in the modern era of the NFL, but Carolina has been one of the few teams in the NFL that adequately uses the position to help them move the chains offensively.

Tolbert made his second All-Pro team in 2015 with 62 carries for 256 rushing yards and a touchdown. He was also a receiving threat out of the backfield for Newton, as Tolbert had 18 catches for 154 yards and three scores as a check down receiver.

Tolbert will turn 31 during his ninth NFL season out of Coastal Carolina, but since joining the Panthers in 2012, he has entered his prime as an NFL player. While some may argue that Carolina may have overpaid for their All-Pro fullback, Tolbert has been worth every penny since joining the Panthers in 2012. For offensive continuity in Carolina, the move to re-sign Tolbert was an easy decision to make.

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