'I finally made it:' Panthers' Jalen Coker earns extension, remains eager to prove worth

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'I finally made it:' Panthers' Jalen Coker earns extension, remains eager to prove worth originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Jalen Coker kept to himself. The Carolina Panthers wide receiver didn't speak to many members of his family or friends about the NFL contract extension talks he was involved with over the past few months.

When the three-year, $35 million deal was announced last Thursday, Coker continued to play it cool.

Did he throw a lavish party?

Nope.

"I just hung out with my fiancée," he said during Tuesday's teleconference. Called a lot of people, took a lot of phone calls."

Did he plan on making a splurge purchase with his newfound security as a former undrafted free agent entering his third NFL season?

Nope.

"I haven't thought about it, but a lot of it is going to the savings account," he said. "I'm super frugal. I'm big on saving it and make sure I take care of the future."

Panthers' Jalen Coker set up with contract extension​

Coker's future appears bright.

Entering his third NFL season, the former Holy Cross standout experienced a meteoric rise through the Panthers' depth chart. An offseason program overachiever in 2024, Coker earned praise from then-rookie coach Dave Canales: "He has a cool skill set."

Not cool enough to survive "NFL Cutdown Day," but interesting enough to bring him back to the practice squad after the other 31 franchises passed on his services off the waiver wire. Mentored by veteran Adam Thielan, who was also a UDFA, Coker continued developing and finished his rookie season with 394 receiving yards.

Last season, he was set to open the regular season as WR3, but suffered an injury late in training camp, costing him the first six games. When he returned, Coker emerged as quarterback Bryce Young's second-favorite target as the Panthers clinched their first NFC South title since 2015.

Coker amassed 478 yards last season, leading to last Thursday's deal that includes a max value of $41 million. At 24 years old, Coker could become a free agent and earn his second payday before entering his prime.

The once-overlooked receiver said he's still out to prove himself.

"It was a huge opportunity for me," Coker said. "This wasn't the end of my story. This isn't where I want to be finished at. I just want to continue to build, continue to do good things for the organization down the line. Hopefully, I can stay for eight more years.

"I didn't want ot be like, 'I finally made it,' I can relax, I can take the foot off the gas a little bit. No, now I've got to prove it even more."

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