After some question as to whether the Carolina Panthers would commit to wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin beyond the 2017 season, the team has reportedly decided to pick up the final year of the former first-round pick’s rookie contract.
The Panthers have exercised the fifth-year option on WR Kelvin Benjamin.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) May 2, 2017
This takes the talented receiver off the free agent market next March and will guarantee him about $8.5 million for the 2018 season.
It’s somewhat interesting given that Panthers head coach Ron Rivera recently indicated he was concerned about Benjamin’s conditioning. Remember, here’s a guy that missed the entire 2015 season after tearing his ACL during the preseason that year.
Benjamin rebounded to put up 63 receptions for 941 yards and seven touchdowns this past season. That came after he tallied a whopping 1,008 yards as a rookie in 2014.