NFL Free Agency: Hayden Hurst signs new three-year, $21.75 million contract

After spending the 2022-2023 season with the Cincinnati Bengals, former South Carolina star Hayden Hurst now knows who he’ll be playing for next season. According to Ian Rapoport, Hurst is expected to play tight end for Carolina Panthers next season.

Mike Garafolo reports the deal will be worth $21.75 million over three seasons, including $13 million in guarantees.

The former No. 25 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Hurst spent his first two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens (2018 and 2019), before spending the next two with the Atlanta Falcons (2020 and 2021), before spending one season with the Cincinnati Bengals (2022) last year. Hurst had a very solid season with the Bengals, hauling in 52 catches for 414 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

During his five seasons in the National Football League, Hurst has hauled in 177 catches for 1,718 receiving yards, while bringing in 14 touchdown catches.

More on 2023 NFL offseason, free agency

The NFL 2023 calendar year is set to begin at 4 p.m. ET on March 15 when contracts running through 2022 will officially run out, making those players free agents. Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams will have a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 7. Beginning March 13 through March 15 teams will be allowed a legal negotiation with players who are set to become unrestricted free agents.In addition to NFL free agency, the new year also marks the beginning of all trades being made official by the league office. April 21 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets while April 26 marks the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets. 722 players are slated to become free agents in 2023.

More on restricted, exclusive rights free agents

Players with only three years of accredited NFL experience become restricted free agents. Their original team will have the option to apply first-round, second-round, original-round, and right-of-fight-of-first-refusal tenders on players at escalating price tags. The higher the round, the more expensive the tender amount; however, if a separate team does offer a contract and the original team does not match that round pick will be conveyed from the new team to the original team. Right of first refusal only gives a team the option to match or not. If they don’t match, they get nothing in return. An original-round tender would send a draft pick from whatever round the player was drafted back to the original team if they chose not to match. The original team will have five days to match once a player signs an offer sheet from a new team.