Panthers sign Kawann Short to huge deal

The Carolina Panthers locked up Kawann Short on Monday, making him one of the highest paid defensive tackles in football.

The Carolina Panthers have signed franchise player Kawann Short to a five-year, $80 million deal and will avoid the possibility of a holdout into both OTAs and training camp. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the news Monday.

According to Overthecap.com, $45 million would put Kawann Short just behind Ndamukong Suh in terms of the most guaranteed money for 4-3 defensive tackles.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported further details of the contract:

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/853974793770631168

This deal comes a year after the Panthers removed the franchise tag designation from Josh Norman, as they were unable to come to terms on a long-term deal. According to Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer, Short knew his situation would play out differently:

"“I didn’t even think about that,” he said. “Because I knew if wasn’t going to turn out that way. I knew I was either going to sign the tender or get an extension. That whole Josh Norman thing, that’s still my guy and I still talk to him a lot. I just knew it wasn’t going to go that route because of the communication and what we needed to do on our end upstairs.”"

A 2015 Pro Bowl selection and named second-team All-Pro in 2015, Kawann Short has been one of the best defensive tackles in football with the Panthers, amassing 107 total tackles and 22 sacks over the course of his four-year career.

Next: NFL power rankings: Super Bowl logos

Now locked up with Carolina until 2023, Short figures to anchor a Panthers’ defense looking to regain respectability after a disappointing 2016 season, as they missed the playoffs a year after losing to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50. Keeping Short around should help the Carolina defensive unit remain stout against the run for years to come.