DT McCoy's addition by Panthers makes team a competitor

Gerald McCoy, future Carolina Panthers striker, clearly explained when entering the independent player regime: he wanted to pass to an opponent.

And the Panthers have made it clear one thing: with McCoy, and a few other general manager moves made during the off season, Marty Hurney, this spring they are only one.

The Panthers players already believed him. Their goal was to prove it to McCoy during his meeting with the team on Friday.

A league source told the observer that a group of prominent players, including captains, had taken McCoy for lunch. There, he saw the chemistry of the team in action. The source thinks this has been an important factor in McCoy's decision-making process.

And, according to another source, the six players who took McCoy to the lunch break were quick to rally the rest of the locker room in their enthusiasm to bring the Pro Bowler six times, twice a year since that McCoy was ranked third overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2010.

"Caroline suited me perfectly. Being among the guys, we just made a mesh and I like the instant chemistry we had, " McCoy entrusted Josina Anderson of ESPN by SMS soon after the announcement of the news of the transaction Monday night by Adam Schefter of ESPN.

McCoy, who has agreed to sign a one – year contract with the Panthers Monday for $ 8.5 million according to a league source, is becoming one of their finest free agent acquisitions. For years.

And the push to do it came with a very long setup.

When Hurney returned to the Panthers in the summer of 2017, he inherited a used car with a boot in the $ 55.5 million deal from former left striker Matt Kalil.

But this contract was finally the key. Kalil did not play any games for the Panthers in 2018, prompting Hurney to call it a post-June 1st cut in March.

This meant that Carolina, while eating a little money out of the deal, had cashed a $ 7.5 million check on Sunday, June 2nd.

Thursday night, Hurney also restructured the contract of veteran receiver Torrey Smith (something that Smith had to agree to do), to release an additional $ 2 million, said a league source to the observer.

Perfect timing.

Although Smith's deal is not tied to McCoy's signature, a source said, the extra $ 9.5 million generated by the two deals ultimately made the pot softer for McCoy as he surrendered. in Carolina last Thursday night after visiting Baltimore and Cleveland.

But money was not everything for McCoy, he told ESPN's Anderson after the fall of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in May.

He wanted to win too.

And Hurney's freelance stint and the spring draft make the Panthers pretty, on paper.

Carolina signed with Matt Paradis, veteran of the Denver Broncos Center, again signed tackle / goaltender Daryl Williams and traded in the second round of the draft to pick left tackle Greg Little. The Panthers also drafted Brian Burns, No. 16 overall, extends and fast, extended Eric Reid 's safety for three years and added veteran receiver Chris Hogan to a one – year contract. Quarterback Cam Newton is also on track to return from training camp after a shoulder operation during the off-season.

Hurney and head coach Ron Rivera had to line up well before this week.

But still, the Panthers had a big question to answer on their home defense line.

And that answer was clearly not in the list of players, after Carolina had decided to refuse the fifth year option of the tackle Vernon Butler, despite the move to a more defensive defense in which Butler would probably have more time to Thu.

Now, the Panthers are going to throw three Pro Bowlers in a three-way front, in Kawann Short, Dontari Poe and McCoy.

This should certainly be a heart shock for a defensive line that has produced only inner pressure gasps last season.

And it's a big boost to the morale of the team, considering Carolina's investment in McCoy's signing.

The Panthers collapsed from the national conversation after appearing at the Super Bowl in the 2015 season. Since then, they have been 24-24 with just one playoff appearance, a loss after the 2017 season.

But the actions that paved the way and helped move McCoy forward were a message from Hurney, head coach Ron Rivera, and every player who helped convince him to come to Carolina. :

Goodbye, mediocrity.

Hello, candidate.