4 easy decisions the Carolina Panthers must make this offseason
By Dean Jones
What are some of the easier decisions awaiting the Carolina Panthers during what’s sure to be an eventful offseason period in 2022?
This is an offseason that will ultimately determine whether head coach Matt Rhule remains in the role beyond 2022. Another season of abject misery that saw the Carolina Panthers lose 12 of their final 14 games left the former Baylor man seemingly on the brink, but team owner David Tepper failed to act and kept faith with the man he gave a seven-year, $62 million contract to keep him out of the New York Giants‘ grasp.
Whether this reprieve will bring any turnaround in fortunes remains to be seen. But with Sean Payton out of the picture and Tom Brady’s retirement looming, the Panthers will never get a better chance to make a bigger splash in the NFC South.
In order to accomplish this, then they must nail their decisions in the coming weeks. There are many questions that need answering and the conclusions made by those in power will undoubtedly have some franchise-altering consequences one way or another.
Without further ado, here are four easy decisions the Panthers should make this offseason.
Decision No. 1
Carolina Panthers must sign Zane Gonzalez to a long-term deal
It’s taken a long time for the Carolina Panthers to find some stability from the kicker position. Joey Slye didn’t even make it out of the preseason and the Ryan Santoso experiment lasted just one game – but stumbling across Zane Gonzalez was a rare stroke of good fortune for the current regime and extending the player long-term should be one of the easiest decisions they make before free agency.
Gonzalez was lights out before getting hurt down the stretch. He was a two-time NFC Special Teams Player of the Week winner and became a model of consistency in key moments to further enhance his overall influence.
The former seventh-round pick is out of contract this spring. If the Panthers had any sense whatsoever, this should be rectified at the earliest possible opportunity.