It seemed like a big loss when Tershawn Wharton left the Kansas City Chiefs after agreeing to a three-year deal worth $45 million with the Carolina Panthers. Wharton had been an underrated gem for the Chiefs during his five year stint in Kansas City but fans were happy that he got the bag elsewhere.
Panthers fans, on the other hand, are probably not happy with Wharton whatsoever. After signing his hefty contract, Wharton went on to play play games in 2025 and missed the rest of the season with a neck injury.
Dean Jones of Cat Crave recently wrote about Wharton's disappointing tenure in Carolina and said that the situation will likely hit its breaking point soon.
"Any hopes Wharton had of bouncing back were decimated by a neck injury that required surgery. No timeline was given by the club for his return, though defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero hopes he'll be back at some stage during the 2026 campaign. Neck complications are tough to predict, so the Panthers must handle this with extreme caution," Jones wrote. "Realistically, the Panthers are not going to get much (if anything) from Wharton this season. By the time he gets back, others will have cemented their places, and it'll take time for the Missouri S&T product to get back into legitimate football shape. That's time Carolina just doesn't have."
Things have gone horribly wrong for Tershawn Wharton in Carolina
Jones then goes into detail about how the pressure has been cranked up on the Panthers after they shockingly won the NFC South last season. Not only did Carolina win its division but the Panthers had the Rams on the brink of a loss in the wild card round of the playoffs before ultimately falling short.
The Panthers need all of their acquisitions to pan out and that includes Wharton. Unfortunately, this might be someone they have to kick to the curb sooner rather than later. While that probably doesn't happen this year, Jones wrote that Wharton's time with the team could be over in 2027.
"[Panthers GM Dan] Morgan has a big decision to make with Wharton next year. He counts $19.63 million against the cap in 2027, none of which is guaranteed. The Panthers can save $14.8 million by cutting him, which seems like a no-brainer unless he returns and makes a considerable impact."
Long story short, Wharton is going to have to ball out in the biggest way possible when/if he returns to the gridiron. If he can play to the level that the Panthers were expecting when they gave him his lengthy deal, maybe he can stay there for the rest of his contract. If not, his time in Charlotte will be over before it ever really started.
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