For Carolina Panthers’ Taylor Moton, it’s ‘just a blessing to get another year’
One summer ago, Taylor Moton was confronted with the reality that he might only have one more year in Charlotte — that one of the longest tenured players in Panthers history might have to move on.
“I try not to think about it,” Moton said on July 30, holding in tears. But you could tell his uncertain future was on his mind.
Nearly a year later, on Sunday evening, sitting courtside in Halton Arena on the Charlotte 49ers campus at a celebrity All-Star basketball game, you could tell Moton was relaxed, at peace. The 31-year-old right tackle had a contract that kept him with Carolina through 2027, and even if he wouldn’t let it on, you could feel how relieved such prospects made him.
“I love it,” Moton told The Charlotte Observer, right before the DJ Chewy Takeover Celebrity Basketball Game. “I love being a Panther. I love the city. I love this community. And you know, it’s just a blessing to get another year, right? And that’s all we can do, is take it one year at a time.”
He added: “It’s always nice to be under contract, right? But most of my career, all I’ve tried to do is focus on what’s next. Whether it’s the next day, the next snap, the next game, whatever that is, what’s next and how can I attack it, and be at the best of my ability?”
Moton signed a two-year, $44 million extension with the Panthers in August 2025, just before the start of last season. He’s started 129 of the 147 games he’s played in since arriving in Charlotte after the 2017 NFL Draft, and he’s developed a reputation for being an “Iron Man” — after all, prior to sustaining a triceps injury in 2024, Moton had played nearly 7,000 straight snaps, the accumulation of over 100 games played.
That’s not to say Moton hasn’t had to white-knuckle through some ailments last year. Even though he played in 17 games, the Panthers needed to be careful managing pain in his knee.
When asked about his health on Sunday, though, the 6-foot-5, 325-pound Western Michigan alum said he “felt good.”
“Ready to rock,” he said. “Excited about it. Excited about this upcoming season: the guys that we brought in, the guys coming back. I think there’s going to be a lot to cheer for this season.”
The Panthers’ official offseason program begins in late May with organized team activities (OTAs). Moton said he’s excited for how his offensive line group gelling — he’s known newly signed left tackle Rasheed Walker for a while and just met center Luke Fortner — and was effusive in the praise of what general manager Dan Morgan has done thus far to reload a roster that’s hoping to repeat as NFC South champions in 2026.
Speaking of Morgan ... anything you want to see in the NFL Draft later this month?
“I have the utmost trust in whoever Dan Morgan’s bringing in,” Moton said. He added, “More than anything, I’m just excited about the season, new guys coming in to help us get to our goals.”
3 other notes from Chewy Takeover Celebrity Basketball Game
- Sunday marked the first time this event took place in Halton Arena on the campus of the Charlotte 49ers. The five previous years, the event (which partnered with My Brother’s Keeper) was held at West Charlotte High School and regularly sold out. Matthew “Chewy” Torres, the event organizer, said that he hopes to grow this event at Halton Arena and hopes this is part of the legacy he’s leaving in his hometown. West Charlotte High was still very much present on Sunday, though — the marching band was terrific, and the boys’ basketball team was honored at halftime of the game for winning the state championship in March. North Meck women’s basketball was honored for the same feat, too.
- It was a star-studded event in Charlotte. The two All-Star teams were coached by two well-known names in the world of basketball. The first: former Charlotte Latin star and NBA player Anthony Morrow. The second: former NBA star Vernon Maxwell, who has since settled in the area after his career. Rapper Roscoe Dash played in the game. So did Chambers High School star Rico Jackson and YouTube star Kamsosmoove. Others in attendance: rapper Trap Dickey (from Hartsville, S.C.), rapper Big YBA (from Durham, N.C.) and the night’s two emcees: Alexis Singleton (from Raleigh) and Brian “B Daht” McLaughlin (from Greensboro).
- Lots of love for Charlotte Hornets. One throughline throughout Sunday’s festivities: Charlotte loves its NBA team. That culminated in Muggsy Bogues, who also sat courtside, winning a “Lifetime Achievement Award,” surrounded by friends and family.
This story was originally published April 13, 2026 at 5:30 AM with the headline "For Carolina Panthers’ Taylor Moton, it’s ‘just a blessing to get another year’."
