CHARLOTTE — There was obviously criticism, but Panthers head coach Dave Canales never wavered.

So even after a rough season for a defense in a constant state of personnel flux, Canales knew who he wanted calling the plays for him on that side of the ball — defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.

"Ejiro will be back with us as our defensive coordinator," Canales said simply on Monday as they wrapped up the 2024 season and began looking ahead.

"We have a lot of things to evaluate over the next couple of days and then certainly into the offseason to reflect on our schemes, to reflect on our personnel, to reflect on the guys we have here, going forward."

Since he walked in the door, Canales talked about working against Evero as a coach from their days in the NFC West. So he's confident in the system because he's seen it work. Of course, the Panthers are coming off a year when they allowed the most points, the second-most total yards, and the third-most rushing yards in NFL history, so there's obviously work to do. But he trusts Evero to do it.

"I've played against this defense, I've played against it in Seattle with the Rams for a bunch of years, I played against it twice last year," Canales said. "I know what this defense will look like, and I'm committed to that. Ejiro's committed to that, so it's about developing the players that we've brought in and evaluating our schemes. So we have to be able to look at our schemes and be really critical of all those things as well.

"And it's about seeing who's out there to challenge our roster and who can help us to get to get this defense to the place where we know we can."

Adam Thielen pondering the future

Adam Thielen will approach this offseason the same way he has the last three off-seasons.

Over the next two weeks, the veteran receiver will rest, evaluate his body, talk to his family, spend time with his kids, and then decide…does he have another year to keep playing?

"As you get a little older, you got some thinking to do," Thielen admitted Monday as he stood in front of the locker he'd yet to clean out, joking with teammates about who would head home and start their offseason vacation first.

"You have to weigh in so many factors as you become an older player in this league. Is it worth it? What does that look like? You make the best decision, you move forward."

Thielen slipped the thought into normal conversation as if the idea was given that, of course, he'd consider retirement at his age, revealing, "It's something that I've contemplated probably since year 10 after the season, like, man, is this right for my family."

That factor is the biggest one, the 12-year receiver shared, with the physical being the least important factor. That part makes sense, considering Thielen steps on the field each week proving despite the 34-year old age that stands out on a football roster, he's still more than capable of being a WR1. The Philadelphia Eagles rookie phenom corner Cooper DeJean told reporters this weekend that covering Thielen in Week 14 was his "welcome to the NFL" moment.

Thielen ended the season as the Panthers leading receiver, bringing in 62 receptions for 615 yards and five touchdowns, even while missing seven games with a hamstring injury. Even the idea of moving into primarily a mentor role was something Thielen balked at Sunday night following the Panthers' overtime win against the Falcons.

"No, I'm a competitor," Thielen responded when confronted with the narrative of being a mentoring teammate as opposed to a productive one. "I want that ball, so I feel like I can still play at a high level and want to help this team win and I got to prove that every single day. But no, I never want to be the guy that's just there out there."

The passion and production are balanced against the hamstring injury and the kids at home growing older. What the Panthers were able to do this year, ending the season on a positive offensive note, will also play a factor, according to Thielen.

"I'd say I'm leaning a certain direction," Thielen revealed, unsurprisingly not sharing what that way is.

While the receiver is the only one who knows what his future holds, he promised it won't be a drawn-out dramatic decision. This is just part of his offseason process as a father in his 30s. But in two weeks, he'll barrel towards whatever is to come.

Said Thielen, "I just want to take my time and see what happens, and then, once—I'm all in or all out kind of guy. So once I know what that looks like, I can really attack the plan."

10 practice squaders signed to future deals

The Panthers signed 10 members of this year's practice squad to future contracts on Monday.

That group includes veteran tight end Jordan Matthews who appeared in four games this year with one start. The 32-year-old doesn't fit the usual profile for a practice squad player, but he's a trusted agent with the ability to contribute on offense and special teams. The former second-round pick of the Eagles entered the league as a wide receiver, but made the transition to tight end.

They also signed offensive linemen Brandon Walton, Ja'Tyre Carter, and Andrew Raym, tight end Dominique Dafney, wide receivers Dax Milne and T.J. Luther, running back Emani Bailey, and outside linebackers Thomas Incoom and Kenny Dyson (who were both active for Sunday's regular-season finale.

Free agent season, which means recruiting

All of the pending free agents who talked on Monday expressed a desire to return next season, most of them citing the fact they sense something building here.

However, for every one of the 21 unrestricted free agents who were making their own case, at least one had teammates lobbying on their behalf.

While center Austin Corbett was talking to reporters, right guard Robert Hunt came by and joined the scrum.

"Austin, Austin, I've got a question for you for one second," Hunt interjected. "You had a really good year. Obviously, it got cut short because of injury. I think a lot of guys love playing with you, and would love to have you back. Is there anything you can give us to sell yourself to be back next year and be in the Carolinas?"

Corbett, with a slightly embarrassed grin, took the bait.

"Man, I just love it here," Corbett said. "It's such a good locker room to be a part of, having you and Damien Lewis coming in free agency, just that energy that both of you guys bring, that physicality that both you guys bring, and that just challenged me to just want to be better and just reach that standard that you guys set. And it was a fun, you know, four and half games while it lasted."

"We think you did really well," Hunt said. "You really did. I love playing by you. I think you're the center."

"I appreciate that," Corbett replied.

The 29-year-old Corbett was shifted inside upon the arrival of Hunt and Lewis in free agency and played well before he suffered a torn biceps tendon. He said Monday he's close to being cleared and is eager to see what comes next.