Cade Montgomery Mays (born April 26, 1999) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

center for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...

before transferring to

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colleg ...

College career

Mays started his college career at Georgia. He played there for two years before transferring to Tennessee. He played for the Volunteers for two seasons.

Professional career

Carolina Panthers (first stint)

Mays was selected by the

in the sixth round, 199th overall, of the

2022 NFL draft The 2022 NFL draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual NFL draft, draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise next to Las Vegas. The first round ...

. Mays made his NFL debut in Week 7 against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

. He made his first start in Week 12 against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

. He appeared in 11 games and made two starts in his rookie season. In the 2023 season, Mays appeared in 16 games and started five. On August 28, 2024, Mays was released by the Panthers.

New York Giants

On September 10, 2024, Mays was signed to the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

practice squad.

Carolina Panthers (second stint)

On October 8, 2024, May was re-signed by the Carolina Panthers off the Giants practice squad. On March 12, 2025, the Panthers placed an original-round tender on Mays.

Personal life

His brother, Cooper, also plays center for

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

References

External links

Carolina Panthers bio

Georgia Bulldogs bio

Tennessee Volunteers bio
1999 births Living people Players of American football from Knoxville, Tennessee American football offensive guards Tennessee Volunteers football players Georgia Bulldogs football players Carolina Panthers players New York Giants players 21st-century American sportsmen {{offensive-lineman-1990s-stub