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The Carolina Panthers are going in a different direction at kicker, releasing veteran Graham Gano ahead of the start of the 2020 season, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The move allows the organization to shed $2.75 million of cap space, thereby paving the way for Joey Slye to take over long-term kicking duties.
It was as recently as March 2018 that Gano had signed a four-year, $17 million extension to remain with Carolina. But after missing the entirety of last year due to injury, the Panthers have opted to go in another direction.
The Gano news marks even more turnover in an organization that was already going to look different in 2020 without longtime quarterback Cam Newton, head coach Ron Rivera, and linebacker Luke Kuechly. From just the past 2-3 years, Carolina has new faces littered all over the field.
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Gano has called Carolina home since 2012, having earned Pro Bowl honors for the only time in his career with the organization in '17, when he drilled a league-best 96.7% of his kicks (29-for-30). In what was his final year with the Panthers, 2018, he set a new franchise record by hammering home a 63-yard field goal.
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Slye had a seesaw rookie campaign with Carolina last year, converting just 78.1% of his field goals. While he missed seven kicks over the course of the year, six of those came from 40 yards or beyond.
The Panthers will likely have to finagle salary cap measures moving forward after granting running back Christian McCaffrey his immense contract extension. One of the first moves has ended Gano's long tenure and allows the 33-year-old to hit the free agent market.
