Insider sends major warning to Carolina Panthers' expensive star

The Carolina Panthers signed cornerback Jaycee Horn to a record-breaking contract extension this offseason, handing him a four-year, $100 million deal.

It represented the highest average annual value for a cornerback in NFL history until the Houston Texans agreed to an even more lucrative pact with Derek Stingley Jr. shortly thereafter.

Nevertheless, Horn was obviously compensated very handsomely, and there has been some legitimate deliberation as to whether or not he actually deserved the massive pay day.

Joe Person of The Athletic has officially placed Horn on notice heading into 2025, naming him among eight Panthers players with the most to prove.

"With that money comes more responsibility for Horn, who needs to start stacking Pro Bowl appearances (he made his first last season) while remaining a shutdown corner," Person wrote.

How about we start with Horn actually remaining healthy for a full season?

Since entering the league as a No. 8 overall pick in 2021, Horn has never played a full 17-game campaign. In fact, he haw appeared in just 37 of a possible 68 contests, which is very concerning given the amount of money ($72 million guaranteed) Carolina is now paying him.

When on the field, Horn has proven to be a terrific player, as evidenced from his 2024 campaign in which he registered 68 tackles, a couple of sacks, an interception and 13 passes defended in 15 games, earning himself a trip to the Pro Bowl.

That being said, questions remain as to whether or not the 25-year-old is genuinely an upper echelon lockdown cornerback, and that is something he will have to answer next season and beyond. Of course, in order to do that, he will need to avoid injury.