CHARLOTTE — Cornerbacks play on an island. Each snap in a game, at practice, and sometimes even watching film is spent in his own head, focused on exactly what is in front of him. It can make for a lonely position, but it's also predicated on knowing your counterpart well enough to know where they're going, what they're doing, and how it relates to your job, all without being able to talk to each other on the field.

It's a relationship that doesn't come easily and, more often than not, is determined by personalities meshing even more so than gameplay style.

Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson have the necessary chemistry.

In just one season together, the two had more passes defended between them (30 total) than any other cornerback duo in the entire league last year. It's an odd couple, a juxtaposition of a former first-rounder who just signed a league-altering contract and a former fifth-rounder who was traded to the Panthers last season during training camp for a seventh-round rookie.

But even with little to no time to learn each other's game, Horn and Jackson clicked.

"It's kind of hard coming in when you don't really know somebody, to like really push him," Jackson shared this week. "So he saw me for a whole year; I saw him so that we can help each other with a lot, and I'm just really excited."

Which is why, at the end of the season, Jackson, set to become a free agent, told Horn to expect him back on a new deal.

"I told him no matter what, like bro, they offer me something, I'm coming back like you ain't even got to worry about it," Jackson said. "So we kind of already had that discussion before the season ended."

Jackson was in the building to sign his new two-year contract with the Panthers, keeping his promise to Horn and continuing what was a break-out season last year with 76 tackles, 17 passes defended (third most in the league), and two interceptions.

Two days later, Horn came through to sign his new contract, one that set a record as the largest corner contract in NFL history.

"I was hyped because I'm like I needed him to get that," Jackson bragged of his teammate. "Like Jaycee is a one-of-a-kind type player.

To mark the moment, Horn gave due credit to Jackson.

"Me and Mike put in a lot of work," Horn said. "He helped my game tremendously, just seeing how he attacked meetings, how he prepped, watching film, and he's out there, he kind of knows everything that's going to happen before it happened. He's coaching on the sidelines, stuff like that."

Now that both are locked in for the future and Horn has reset the market, they want to prove they are both more than worth their respective deals. That will start with Jackson pushing Horn to avoid a post-contract slump.

"I was just thinking, it's my job now like, 'All right bro, like push it,'" Jackson said. "Like we all seeing guys get paid and then they don't have good years. To be honest, Pat (Surtain II) last year is probably the first person I've seen get paid and then still go out there and have a great year.

"So for me, that's kind of what I'm challenging him all year, like, 'All right, bro, you got it; now, show that on the field. Make it feel like all right, you're worth more than that.' So that's kind of my challenge to him all year."

It's a challenge and accountability that Horn more than appreciates and is hopeful to reciprocate. Because after a year of learning each other, the duo is ready to run it back, but this time with a more long-term future in mind.

"We played good with each other, we raise each other's game, give each other confidence," Horn said. "So I was super excited to see him sign back. And we're ready to just go ball again like we did last year."