The Carolina Panthers were disappointing in Week 7, but one player who has been disappointing all season is former Pro Bowl guard Rob Hunt. The seventh-year right guard had another poor performance in the Panthers’ 43-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hunt took full accountability for his play after the game.
“It kind of suck, obviously,” said Hunt on his play.
Hunt is returning from a torn biceps injury that ended his 2025 season after just two games. So, he not only had to get healthy; he had to shake off the rust of not playing in nearly a year. Hunt added that he is not where he wants to be right now.
“Now I’m just trying to get my way back to where I want to be,” said Hunt. “Feel like it takes time, but feel like in some areas I am improving, but I just have to be better in some areas. And today just wasn’t good enough for me, especially on that strip sack. That sucks. I am going to think about that all night.”
“Today just wasn’t good enough for me.” #Panthers
Al-Quadin Muhammad beat Hunt clean on a sack. Calijah Kancey picked the ball up and took it to the house. It turned a 10-0 lead into a 17-0 lead and put the Panthers in a tough spot.
Hunt has 11 games to turn things around, but if not, it could lead to his last days in Carolina.
Carolina Panthers Right Guard Robert Hunt Must Improve
The Panthers do not have the depth to bench Hunt, and they owe him enough money that they should give him a chance to turn things around. However, Dean Jones of Cat Crave notes that at the rate that Hunt is playing, he is likely to get cut this offseason.
“Hunt’s regression is alarming,” wrote Jones. “He looks sluggish off the snap, and his recovery skills have deserted him. Hunt has no guaranteed money beyond 2026. The Panthers are cash-strapped, so they might save money by cutting or trading the right guard if improvements don’t arrive.”
Hunt signed a five-year, $100M extension with the Panthers in 2024.
Panthers Could Move on From Hunt
However, he got hurt in 2025 and has not looked the same in 2026. The Panthers could release him and save $14M on the salary cap. Or, they could take on his $24M cap hit and hope he lives up to that salary. Based on his play through six games, it is going to be an easy decision.
Still, there is a reason Hunt signed such a big deal with the Panthers. He has 4,244 snaps and 79 career starts at right guard. Hunt made the Pro Bowl as recently as 2024. He was hurt in 2025 and is shaking off the rust in 2026, but still has time to get back to that level of play. If the Panthers do not see it soon, the decision for 2027 will be easy.
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