The Carolina Panthers have undergone some tremendous changes on both sides of the ball this offseason. So it makes sense that they would do whatever they could to keep their special teams intact.
Headlining the unit is kicker Graham Gano, who was set to potentially test the market this offseason. However, according to NFL Network Insider's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, Gano has agreed to a lucrative four-year, $17 million deal:
The Panthers and kicker Graham Gano agreed to terms on a 4-year deal worth $17M with $9M guaranteed, per @MikeGarafolo and me.
At first glance, it is apparent that just over $4 million per year seems a bit steep for a kicker. However, the Panthers were able to avoid a cap hit by refraining from the franchise tag while locking up one of the most consistent kickers in the 2017 NFL season.
Gano finished as the league's most accurate field-goal kicker after hitting 29 of his 30 attempts. Of course, accuracy has hardly been an issue as of late for the veteran out of Florida State. However, It is the leg power that he has seemingly lacked over the years. Then again, it is difficult to gauge considering he only attempted one field goal over 50+ yards — which he missed.
Despite his depleted usage, it was Gano's best year by far. His NFL-leading 96.7 percent field goal percentage helped him match the second-best point total of his career (121). Although there are concerns about his prodigious contract, the new salary cap increase suggests that will become the norm for kickers moving forward.
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