CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- This may put into perspective how far Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman has come when it comes to the size of his checkbook for free agency.

He spent about $54 million on free agents over the past three years, according to numbers compiled by ESPN. That was the least amount in the NFL, with the Green Bay Packers the next highest at around $68 million.

He has more than $50 million in cap space this year after clearing just under $4 million on Tuesday with the release of fullback Mike Tolbert and defensive tackle Paul Soliai.

So Gettleman potentially could spend as much or more in 2017 as he has the past three offseasons.

Now you better understand why prior to free agency in 2015 he delivered the "last year we were shopping at the Dollar Store" line.

But is Gettleman ready for Tiffany's?

Probably not, at least in terms of shopping for free agents from other teams. It's actually hard to imagine Gettleman ever truly shopping at Tiffany's with his “we're not mortgaging the future'' on one player approach (See cornerback Josh Norman last year).

Fifty-plus million is a lot, particularly when you consider a few years ago the Panthers had about $16 million in cap space.

But when you consider what it's going to cost to sign a few of Carolina's own free agents to long-term deals, the number shrinks fast.

Let's start with defensive tackle Kawann Short. Should the Panthers go ahead and use the franchise tag while they continue to negotiate a long-term deal that will eat up an estimated $14,770,194 in cap space.

The checkbook already is down to $35 million to $37 million. It could be down more if the Panthers work out a deal that averages more than the tag price.

The Panthers also would like to sign defensive tackle Star Lotulelei to a long-term deal even though they picked up his fifth-year option for the 2017 season. Let's say he wants a deal among the top 12 tackles. That would eat up between $5 million to $6 million, maybe more.

So now you're down to around $29 million, give or take a few million.

Say the Panthers decide to keep defensive end Mario Addison, who led the team in sacks this past season with 9.5. That could cost $3 million to $6 million, depending what his market value is.

Toss in defensive end Charles Johnson at another one-year, $3 million bargain like last year and you're closing in on $20 million in available cap space.

Then there's tackle Mike Remmers. He moved from right to left tackle the final 13 games last season after Michael Oher was diagnosed with a concussion. He probably won't get left tackle money, at least from Carolina, but the 10th-ranked right tackle last year earned $5.5 million.

If Remmers gets that, now you're getting to the $15 million range available.

Wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. also is a free agent. He counted $2.775 million against the cap last year. He likely will have a more cap friendly deal moving forward, but that still could cost $1.5 million or more.

Now you're starting to get the picture.

That's why a left tackle like Minnesota's Matt Kalil makes sense in free agency. Kalil probably could be had for around $5 million a year, less than half of what the league's top left tackles make.

Former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz visited Carolina on Monday. Let's say he signs a two-year deal that averages $1.5 million to $2 million a year. That's another chunk out of the pot.

And don't forget teams typically set aside around $10 million for draft picks and to account for injuries.

So $50 million can go in a hurry even if you're not shopping at Tiffany's.