The Carolina Panthers were looking to get a veteran edge from Jared Allen this season and were satisfied with his production.
The one thing the Panthers cannot overlook is his age and at the tail end of Allen's career his production is waning. At 33 Allen recorded 27 combined tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 pass defenses in 12 games. He started in the 12 games he played but his cap hit would run around $8.5 million which is something the Panthers cannot afford to pay at this time.
The Panthers are currently ranked 20th in salary cap space in the NFL and currently have $21 million to work with this offseason. With Allen set to turn 34 in April it is likely the Panthers will release him to save some cap space in order to retain the services of soon to be free agent, star cornerback Josh Norman. Norman will look to have big salary demands and the Panthers must devote most of their cap space to try and retain the superstar.
The Panthers also will like to resign Charles Johnson and Mike Tolbert as well since they are looking to make it back to the Super Bowl next season. The Panthers will likely try to reload and patch the holes in their roster after losing in the Super Bowl to the Denver Broncos. Retaining Josh Norman will be the first step in their push for the playoffs in 2016.