According to Ari Meirov, the Detroit Lions are signing center Cade Mays, a former Carolina Panthers offensive lineman. The deal is for three years and is worth $25 million. It’s a clear position of need for Detroit, and a big loss for the Panthers. There’s $14 million guaranteed in the contract.
Cade Mays, a 26-year-old center out of Tennessee, played college at the University of Georgia and the University of Tennessee. Drafted in the sixth-round of the NFL Draft in 2022, Mays played in 52 games, including 27 starts for the Panthers over four seasons. He grew into a reliable center in 2024 and 2025. In 2025, he received a career-high 12 starts in 14 games.
Cade Mays Signs with Detroit Lions
GettyCade Mays will hit free agency
Cade Mays is now a member of the Detroit Lions. Center now becomes a strong position of need for the Carolina Panthers, who will try and find another big body to help protect quarterback Bryce Young.
Mays is a strong 6-foot-6, 325-pound center, and a former five-star recruit out of high school. Due to recent subtractions from the Lions’ offensive line, it’s no surprise that Carolina didn’t want to ink out a nearly $10 million AAV deal to a center. However, it just makes it that much more important that the Panthers are able to land another body up front either in the NFL Draft or free agency in the coming days.
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