Whichever quarterback the Carolina Panthers select with the first pick in the NFL Draft on April 27 will take snaps in the 2023 season from Bradley Bozeman.

The former Handley High School and Alabama standout has reached an agreement with the NFL team on a three-year contract, Carolina announced on Monday night.

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The contract extension will keep Bozeman from becoming an unrestricted free agent at 3 p.m. CDT Wednesday when his current one-year contract with the Panthers expires.

Bozeman will sign an $18 million deal with Carolina, NFL Network reported, after he played the 2022 season on a one-year, $2.8 million contract.

Bozeman didn’t play an offensive snap in Carolina’s first six games of the 2022 season, but he played every one in the remaining 11.

The Panthers opened the season with former Minnesota Vikings starter Pat Elflein at center. Elflein’s season-ending hip injury opened a spot in the lineup for Bozeman.

When Bozeman entered the lineup, Carolina had a 1-5 record and had just traded former All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers. The Panthers went 6-5 with Bozeman at center. After averaging 90.3 rushing yards per game without Bozeman, the Panthers averaged 151.6 with him.

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By re-signing Bozeman, Carolina has its starting offensive line from the end of the 2022 season under contract for the 2023 campaign.

Bozeman joined the Panthers last year as a free agent after reaching the end of his four-year, $2.578 million rookie contract signed after the Baltimore Ravens selected him in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

As a rookie, Bozeman played 214 offensive snaps in 14 games with one start. For the next three seasons, he hardly came off the field for the Baltimore offense.

With Bozeman at left guard, the Ravens rushed for more than 3,000 yards in 2019 and 2020 season – two of the six times that has been accomplished in NFL history.

Bozeman shifted to center for Baltimore in 2021.

Bozeman had served as Alabama’s starting center in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, capping his career in the Crimson Tide’s 26-23 overtime victory against Georgia in the CFP national championship game.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.