The Carolina Panthers had stated that re-signing their best defensive player was their top priority this off-season. They made sure that they got him to put a pen to paper before free agency officially opens up on Friday. The Panthers and defensive end Charles Johnson agreed to a six-year, $76 million contract, with a $30 million signing bonus and $32 million in guarantees overall.
Speculation had been that the competition for Johnson was between Carolina, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Philadelphia Eagles. Now that he’s under contract through 2016, Johnson is pretty much guaranteed to be a Carolina Panther for life.
This deal really sets the market for Ray Edwards, who now becomes the most coveted free agent defensive end available. Odds are that Edwards doesn’t get close to as big of a deal as Johnson, but he’ll no doubt be getting a lot of attention from teams who had their eyes on Johnson, as most will probably not want to miss twice on the top defensive ends available this offseason.
Johnson broke out in a huge way last year, finishing as PFF’s third highest defensive end and accumulating an outstanding 51 solo tackles, 62 total tackles, and 12 sacks. He should continue to flourish in Carolina’s defense, and could end up leading all defensive ends in total snaps with the potential to break 1000 for the season.
This should end up being a good fit for both sides, as Carolina continues to build around its young talented core, while Johnson gets the pay day he was looking for and can continue to refine his skills in a familiar environment.
Fantasy Spin:
Johnson should be one of the top defensive ends drafted in fantasy leagues, and should once again break 50 solo tackles, 60 total tackles, and double-digit sacks.
Questions and comments are always welcome via Twitter – @Eric_Yeomans
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