The Facts: The Panthers have bought back one of their pending free agents. Carolina announced on Friday that the club has agreed to terms on a three-year contract with Thomas. According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the deal is worth $16.5 million with $8 million fully guaranteed. He’ll receive $6.435 million in cash in the first year of the contract.

Diehards Line: A fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft, Thomas has appeared in all 65 games over the first four years of his career. In 2021, he caught just 18 passes for 188 yards with no touchdowns. Thomas has 90 career receptions for 802 yards with four TDs. Thomas is the third pending free agent the Panthers have brought back in the early offseason, with the others being long snapper J.J. Jansen and linebacker Frankie Luvu.