Former Vikings offensive starter could become a cap casualty in 2023

Former Minnesota Vikings center Pat Elflein appears to possibly be a potential cap casualty for the Carolina Panthers this offseason.

Six years after he was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Pat Elflein’s career in the league could be at a crossroads, as his current team, the Carolina Panthers, could decide to send him packing before his contract expires in 2024.

Elflein signed a three-year deal with the Panthers back in 2021, but according to The Athletic’s Joseph Person, the former Vikings offensive lineman is among the current players on Carolina’s roster that could end up as a cap casualty this offseason.

Person believes the Panthers will be placing a priority on re-signing free-agent center Bradley Bozeman this year and that Elflein’s tenure with the franchise “is likely done.”

How much money would the Carolina Panthers save by cutting former Minnesota Vikings center Pat Elflein?

According to OverTheCap.com, Carolina is currently more than $7 million over the 2023 salary cap that will lock in on March 15th.

If the Panthers choose to cut Elflein at some point within the next few weeks, they will free up more than $4.2 million in cap space. It might not seem like a ton of money, but Elflein is currently set to take up more than $7 million of Carolina’s 2023 salary cap, so it doesn’t make a ton of sense to keep him around at that number if he’s just going to be their backup center.

The former Minnesota draft pick will turn 29 in July and he’s started more than 60 games during his NFL career, so even if the Panthers do move on from him in the near future, he should still be able to land a job with another team before training camps get underway this summer.