The Facts: The Panthers have revamped their wide receiver position throughout the offseason with several acquisitions. On Monday the makeover continued with a departure. Shepard has asked for his release after refusing to take a pay cut, two league sources told the Observer. Shepard will become a free agent when the transaction becomes official Monday afternoon.

Diehards Line: The move will save the Panthers a little more than $2.1 million against the salary cap. Former general manager Dave Gettleman signed Shepard to a three-year, $10 million contract in 2017. But the former Tampa Bay wideout failed to make much of an impact in his only season with Carolina, catching only 17 passes for 202 yards and one touchdown. His lone score came in a Week 1 win at San Francisco. There was no guarantee Shepard was going to be on the roster after the Panthers traded for speed wideout Torrey Smith, added free agent Jarius Wright in the slot and drafted Maryland receiver D.J. Moore with the 24th overall pick. The Panthers also have young wideouts Curtis Samuel and Damiere Byrd returning from injury.