The Carolina Panthers made a splash by signing a cornerback on Monday morning. The Panthers signed Jaycee Horn to a four-year, $100 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.

With less fanfare, Carolina announced it had agreed to terms with another cornerback on Monday night. The Panthers preserved their cornerback pairing by keeping former Spain Park High School standout Michael Jackson out of NFL free agency.

Jackson’s 2024 contract will run out at 3 p.m. CDT Wednesday, when he was supposed to become an unrestricted free agent.

Instead, the Panthers brought him back for a two-year, $14.5 million contract extension, ESPN reported.

Carolina acquired Jackson on Aug. 22, 2024, for rookie linebacker Michael Barrett in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks.

Despite joining the Panthers late in training camp, Jackson played more defensive snaps in the 2024 regular season than all but one other NFL player. Jackson recorded two interceptions, 17 passes defended and 76 tackles.

Jackson entered the NFL from Miami (Fla.) as a fifth-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2019. In his first three NFL seasons, he played 29 defensive snaps in four games while appearing on the rosters of the Cowboys, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots and Seahawks.

But in 2022, Jackson started every game for Seattle and played 1,082 defensive snaps. He made 75 tackles, intercepted one pass and broke up 11 more. In Seattle’s 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 18, 2022, Jackson scored his first NFL touchdown when he picked up a blocked field-goal attempt and ran 86 yards.

In response, the Seahawks signed Jackson to a one-year, $940,000 contract. Then Seattle drafted Devon Witherspoon at No. 5 in 2023 and started him in Jackson’s spot.

Jackson re-signed with the Seahawks on April 8, 2024, after the team placed an original-round tender on him as a restricted free agent. By tendering Jackson, Seattle kept him from becoming an unrestricted free agent and guaranteed him a salary of $3.039 million for the 2024 season.

In 55 NFL games, with 38 starts, Jackson has three interceptions, 36 passes defended, 188 tackles and two fumble recoveries.

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