Eddy Pineiro will be enjoying an extended stay in Charlotte. The Carolina Panthers announced that they have re-signed the veteran kicker on a two-year contract. In a corresponding move, fellow kicker Zane Gonzlez has been released.
Pineiro initially signed on with the Panthers last summer, where he reunited with special teams coordinator Chris Tabor after the pair had previously worked together in Chicago. That connection made Pineiro a logical Carolina target in their bid to find a replacement for the injured Gonzalez, who ended up missing the entirety of the 2022 campaign.
In Gonzalez's absence, Pineiro fared well, converting on 33-of-35 field goal attempts (a 94.3 success rate). That figure ranked second in the league amongst full-time kickers and included a streak of 19 consecutive makes -- though that streak came only after two critical misses against the Falcons in a game which had playoff implications in the NFC South.
Pineiro's new contract offers the place-kicker a degree of stability after he bounced around on one-year stints with the Bears and Jets. The 27-year-old has also signed deals with the Raiders and Colts previously, though he never made a regular-season appearance with either of those outfits.
Carolina's decision to retain Pineiro and cut ties with Gonzalez has been suspected for a time now, as last season's success had reportedly put Pineiro in position to be retained over Gonzalez. That move has now come to pass.
The former will have the chance for his first multi-year stint kicking with the same team in the NFL while the latter will now be looking to catch on with a new team ahead of summer training camps.
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