CHARLOTTE — The Panthers are clear about putting an emphasis on improving their defense this offseason, and their first big step was hanging onto one of their own.

The team agreed to terms with cornerback Jaycee Horn on a four-year extension on Monday, which will keep him here through the 2029 season.

Horn still had another year of contract left after they picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie deal last spring. But keeping him here for the long-term was a priority, and they've now paired the 2021 first-rounder with defensive tackle and 2020 first-rounder Derrick Brown.

General manager Dan Morgan said as soon as last season ended that extending Horn was a priority, and at the combine, said he hoped the deal came "sooner than later."

"I think I said that to you guys the last time I talked to you guys, that Jaycee is obviously the focal point of the defense, somebody that we're going to want here long-term, and, and we're going to work on getting him a long-term deal," Morgan said in January.

Horn was named to his first Pro Bowl this season after playing more than 1,000 snaps (or 1,036, to be specific, 98 percent of the team's total defensive snaps) in 15 games. He wasn't among the top choices in the fan voting, which meant this recognition came from his peers in the league and coaches, people who have always known what kind of player he was.

"A lot more work to be put in," Horn said upon earning that recognition. "I could be a way better player. I got a lot of room left to go, so just trying to do that every day and then hopefully next year coming back and, you know, making it again.

"I'm really just learning football, you know, being out there's different. We learn in the classroom, but we actually get the snaps and get the reps, the game slows down a lot, so I feel like the game slowed down a lot for me from Week 1 to the last game I played, so I'm just excited to get back next year and try to stack them up."

And now, he'll be stacking them up here for years to come.