Per Bill Voth at Blackandbluereview.com, today marks an important day in free agency. Great work on his part putting together the article.
The bargain bin got another price break Thursday with the lifting of, let's call it-the UFA tax. The May 12 threshold means teams can now sign unrestricted free agents without those additions hurting them when it comes time to flush out compensatory draft picks.
The Panthers are currently in line to receive a 3rd round compensatory pick for Josh Norman, which is probably a big reason for the timing of the move.