5 easy decisions the Carolina Panthers must make in 2022 free agency
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers must tie down Zane Gonzalez long-term
The Carolina Panthers had many problems heading into the season. Perhaps the biggest of all was figuring out just what they were going to do at the kicking position.
Joey Slye was afforded no competition in training camp. But his erratic displays during practice and preseason games caused the organization to release him before competitive action began.
This was followed by trading for Ryan Santoso from the New York Giants. This lasted just one game before his release to save Carolina a seventh-round draft pick in the process.
When all hope seemed lost, Zane Gonzalez came in and was nothing short of a revelation.
Gonzalez was almost flawless throughout the campaign, attaining 90.9 percent of his field-goal attempts, with 95.7% of his extra points going through the upright. He was a two-time NFC Special Teams Player of the Week winner and even though injury prevented the kicker from seeing out the season, he can look back on his accomplishments with an enormous sense of pride.
The Panthers should not overthink this. Providing the prognosis is good regarding Gonzalez on the health front, then the player should be given a multi-year extension at the earliest possible opportunity.
Kicking fortunes can change in a blink of an eye. But it’s hard to look at Gonzalez’s outlook with anything other than encouragement.