NFL Rumors: Caroline Panthers and Graham Gano Sign a Four-Year Extension Deal
Pro Bowl placekicker Graham Gano will not be leaving the Carolina Panthers anytime soon because he has just secured a new deal that will keep him under contract through the 2021 season.
The Panthers have confirmed that they have signed Gano to a four-year contract before the franchise tag deadline on Tuesday. The team could have tagged him if he did not sign a new deal before the deadline.
"We've been excited to see what was going to happen," Gano said, via the Panthers' official website. "I've got a great agent and I knew things would work themselves out," he continued.
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"(I'm) definitely excited to be able to move back into the locker and call this home for four more years," he added.
The Panthers did not reveal the terms of the deal, but NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo have reported that Gano's contract is worth $17 million. Re-signing Gano has always been high on the Panthers' priority list this offseason, so this move does not come as a surprise.
Gano connected on 29 of his 30 field goal attempts for a league-best 96.7 percent in 16 games with the Panthers last season, including a perfect 29-for-29 inside the 50-yard line. He also hit 70 of his 83 kickoffs (league-best 84.3 percent) into the end zone for touchbacks, and he managed to convert on 34 of 37 extra point attempts.
He nailed a season-best 48-yard field goal to give the Panthers a 33-30 victory over the New England Patriots last season.
"I don't know if I've seen a kicker have a better season than he had last year. He missed one kick. That's pretty special," Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said, via the team's official website.
"He's a very good kicker and we rewarded him for his production over not only last year but since he's been here," he continued.
