The Carolina Panthers already parted ways with one of their longest-tenured players this offseason and they are now moving on from another after releasing Pro Bowl kicker Graham Gano.
Following an eight-year run with Carolina, the Panthers released Gano on Thursday to save the organization $2.8 million in cap space.
Panthers release kicker Graham Gano
Graham Gano’s wife announced the team’s decision on Instagram, thanking the organization for the support over the years and highlighting all the experiences they’ve had in Carolina.
Gano missed the entire 2019 season due to recurring pain in his knee, forcing Carolina to place him on injured reserve in August. In his absence, Joey Slyce stepped in as the team’s kicker and held on to the role.
During his seven seasons as the team’s kicker, Gano proved to have one of the more accurate legs in the NFL. He converted 85.5% of his field-goal attempts in 98 games, hitting 16-of-26 from 50-plus yards.
Gano earned a Pro Bowl selection in 3017 when he drilled 29-of-30 field goals, leading the NFL with a 96.7% conversion rate. While he was limited by the knee pain in 2018, he still converted 14-of-16 attempts and nailed a game-winning, 63-yard field goal along the way.